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The head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the UK might have reached pizza saturation while broadening the franchise into chicken products has been ousted after disagreements with its directors.

Executive Transition

Andrew Rennie is exiting after only 24 months in leadership, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a long-term chief.

The outgoing executive, who served at the company for over 20 years, had aimed to shift Britain's leading pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, remarking in a recent interview there was not “massive growth” left in the UK's pizza market. He said chicken was the fastest-growing menu item in the globe.

Governance Disagreements

Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the board over his approach and business vision, although the company's official statement said he was departing “through mutual consent”.

New Product Launch

In September, Domino's unveiled its chicken-focused offering – which the former chief referred to as a “significant new phase” for the organization – and is piloting it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and the province.

While the company is still planning to expand it across its extensive network in 2026 as planned, it considers fried chicken as an addition to its core pizza business.

Board Comment

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, said: “We are confident that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and value creation in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on finding the ideal CEO to direct the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

Market Difficulties

Recently, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said sales declined by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In the summer, it alerted that the takeaway market had “intensified” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the period before the budget and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Other pizza operators are also facing challenges. Pizza Hut revealed the closing of multiple locations a month ago, after the firm behind its UK venues faced financial collapse.

Health Efforts

Responding to consumer trends towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced reduced-calorie options, such as its Thin & Crispy selection of bakes below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and gluten-free options. A family-sized pepperoni has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a individual has 909 calories.

Interim Management

Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and was formerly with the gaming group William Hill. It is understood that she prefers not to assume the top job on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a number of active growth and efficiency programs that we will be focused on implementing at a rapid rate.”

She added these comprised ongoing development on the organization's supply chain and menu innovation, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also without a full-time chief financial officer until the spring, when a new appointee starts from the beverage producer C&C Group. Until then, Richard Snow serves as interim finance chief.