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The chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the United Kingdom might have reached pizza saturation while expanding the chain into poultry items has been ousted after disagreements with its board.

Executive Shake-Up

Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in leadership, and will be replaced on an acting basis by the company's chief operating officer, Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a new leader.

Rennie, who served at Domino's for a substantial period, had attempted to redirect Britain's biggest pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, stating recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the UK's pizza market. He observed poultry was the fastest-growing food category in the globe.

Board Tensions

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between the CEO and the governance team over his approach and business vision, although Domino's release said he was departing “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Brand Introduction

In September, the chain unveiled its chicken-focused brand – which Rennie described as a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is piloting it in over 200 locations in the North West region and the province.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in the coming year as intended, it considers fried chicken as complementary to its core pizza business.

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the company chair, commented: “Directors think that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and profitability in our primary operations. We are prioritizing selecting the ideal CEO to lead the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

Industry Difficulties

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said orders dipped by 1.5 percent in the Q3. In the summer, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “grown more challenging” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the run-up to the budget and rising wage costs for below-target performance and a 15% drop in interim earnings.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut disclosed the closing of 68 restaurants a last month, after the business behind its UK venues fell into administration.

Wellness Initiatives

Adapting to market shifts towards balanced diets, Domino's has rolled out reduced-calorie items, such as its thin-crust range of bakes below 400 kcals as well as plant-based and gluten-free pizzas. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a personal has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Management

The interim chief has been with Domino's since the recent past, and was formerly with the betting firm a well-known operator. It is thought that she prefers not to take on the top job on a full-time basis.

She said: “Our team has a several active growth and efficiency programs that we will be concentrating on implementing at speed.”

Frampton noted these involved ongoing development on the company's procurement system and menu innovation, and its rewards program.

The pizza chain is also lacking a full-time chief financial officer until 16 March, when a new appointee comes aboard from the beverage producer a well-known firm. In the meantime, Richard Snow is interim finance chief.