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The boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit maximum pizza demand while broadening the company into fried chicken has been replaced after conflicts with its directors.

Leadership Transition

Rennie is leaving after a brief tenure in charge, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's searches for a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who was with Domino's for more than two decades, had sought to shift Britain's biggest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, stating earlier this month there was not “huge potential” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He said poultry was the most rapidly expanding menu item in the globe.

Governance Disagreements

Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the directors over his focus and direction, although the company's announcement said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Introduction

In September, Domino's introduced its chicken-focused brand – which Rennie called a “major strategic shift” for the organization – and is piloting it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still planning to expand it across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as intended, it views fried chicken as an addition to its core pizza business.

Board Statement

Bull, the company chairman, commented: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and profitability in the main pizza segment. We are concentrating on finding the ideal CEO to oversee the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Industry Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by 1.5% in the third quarter. In August, it warned that the food delivery sector had “become tougher” as it blamed reduced spending in the run-up to the government announcement and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in six-month income.

Rival chains are also struggling. Another major chain revealed the closing of multiple locations a recently, after the business behind its outlets fell into administration.

Health Efforts

Responding to market shifts towards balanced diets, Domino's has launched reduced-calorie items, such as its light base line of bakes below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and gluten-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A big margherita has over 2,100, while a small has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

The interim chief has been with the company since 2021, and had a background at the gaming group a well-known operator. It is thought that she prefers not to take on the top job long-term.

She said: “We have a number of ongoing development and efficiency programs that we will be focused on implementing at speed.”

Frampton noted these included further work on the organization's supply chain and menu innovation, and its rewards program.

Domino's is also lacking a permanent CFO until the spring, when a new appointee joins from the drinks company a well-known firm. For now, Richard Snow serves as acting financial officer.