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The boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the United Kingdom might have hit peak pizza while diversifying the company into poultry items has been removed after tensions with its directors.

Executive Shake-Up

Rennie is departing after only 24 months in charge, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's seeks a new leader.

Rennie, who worked for Domino's for more than two decades, had sought to pivot Britain's leading pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, remarking recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the UK's pizza market. He noted poultry was the quickest rising protein in the international market.

Board Tensions

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between the CEO and the governance team over his strategy and direction, although the company's official statement said he was leaving “as a joint decision”.

New Product Introduction

In the autumn, the chain introduced its poultry brand – which Rennie described as a “significant new phase” for the organization – and is testing it in 210 outlets in the North West region and the province.

While the business is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as scheduled, it regards chicken products as complementary to its core pizza business.

Board Comment

Bull, the company chairman, stated: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and profitability in the main pizza segment. We are prioritizing identifying the ideal CEO to oversee the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Market Difficulties

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has millions of users in the British Isles, said orders dipped by one and a half percent in the third quarter. In August, it cautioned that the food delivery sector had “grown more challenging” as it attributed reduced spending in the period before the budget and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a 15% drop in six-month income.

Rival chains are also struggling. Pizza Hut revealed the shutting of dozens of outlets a last month, after the firm behind its British operations fell into administration.

Wellness Initiatives

Trying to keep up with customer preferences towards better nutrition, the company has launched light items, such as its thin-crust line of bakes below 400 calories as well as vegan and gluten-free options. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a personal has 909 kcal.

Interim Leadership

Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and had a background at the gaming group William Hill. It is understood that she is not seeking to take on the top job on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “The company has a multiple active development and efficiency programs that we will be dedicated to carrying out at pace.”

Frampton noted these included further work on the company's supply chain and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also in need of a full-time chief financial officer until March 16, when a new appointee joins from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. Until then, Snow is interim finance chief.