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A boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the UK might have hit peak pizza while diversifying the chain into fried chicken has been removed after conflicts with its directors.

Leadership Transition

Rennie is departing after just two years in leadership, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's searches for a long-term chief.

The outgoing executive, who worked for Domino's for a substantial period, had attempted to pivot the UK's biggest pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, remarking in a recent interview there was not “massive growth” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He observed poultry was the quickest rising menu item in the globe.

Board Friction

It is understood that there was disagreement between Rennie and the directors over his strategy and business vision, although Domino's release said he was departing “as a joint decision”.

Recent Brand Launch

In September, Domino's introduced its chicken-focused offering – which Rennie called a “bold new chapter” for the organization – and is testing it in 210 outlets in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still intending to launch it across its extensive network next year as planned, it considers chicken products as complementary to its main pizza offerings.

Board Comment

Bull, the Domino's chair, commented: “We are confident that there are a series of prospects to boost expansion and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are concentrating on identifying the right chief executive to lead the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

Market Difficulties

Recently, Domino's, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said sales declined by 1.5% in the Q3. In August, it alerted that the takeaway market had “intensified” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in interim earnings.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the closure of dozens of outlets a last month, after the company behind its outlets entered insolvency.

Health Initiatives

Adapting to consumer trends towards better nutrition, the company has introduced reduced-calorie products, such as its light base line of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and allergy-friendly pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 calories. A big margherita has 2,171, while a individual has 909 kcal.

Interim Leadership

The interim chief has been with the company since the recent past, and had a background at the betting firm William Hill. It is thought that she prefers not to occupy the CEO position long-term.

Frampton stated: “We have a number of active expansion and operational projects that we will be focused on executing at a rapid rate.”

Frampton noted these included ongoing development on the organization's supply chain and new item creation, and its rewards program.

The pizza chain is also lacking a permanent CFO until March 16, when Andrea joins from the beverage producer a well-known firm. In the meantime, Richard Snow acts as acting financial officer.