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The head of Domino's Pizza Group who proposed the UK might have hit pizza saturation while diversifying the company into chicken products has been replaced after disagreements with its directors.

Leadership Transition

The former CEO is exiting after only 24 months in charge, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's searches for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who served at the company for over 20 years, had aimed to redirect Britain's largest pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, commenting recently there was not “huge potential” left in the UK's pizza market. He said chicken was the quickest rising menu item in the international market.

Governance Friction

Sources suggest that there was friction between the CEO and the governance team over his strategy and business vision, although the company's announcement said he was departing “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Product Introduction

In September, the chain introduced its poultry brand – which Rennie described as a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is testing it in 210 outlets in the North West region and the province.

While the company is still planning to expand it across its extensive network in 2026 as scheduled, it considers chicken products as an addition to its main pizza offerings.

Board Comment

The Domino's chair, the company chairman, stated: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are prioritizing selecting the right chief executive to direct the careful implementation of that growth strategy.”

Market Difficulties

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said transactions declined by 1.5% in the third quarter. In August, it cautioned that the quick-service industry had “become tougher” as it attributed reduced spending in the lead-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for below-target performance and a 15% drop in interim earnings.

Competitors are also struggling. Pizza Hut revealed the shutting of dozens of outlets a last month, after the company behind its outlets faced financial collapse.

Wellness Initiatives

Responding to consumer trends towards healthier eating, the company has rolled out lower-calorie items, such as its light base range of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and wheat-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 calories. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a personal has 909 kcal.

Acting Management

Nicola Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and was formerly with the gaming group William Hill. It is believed that she is not seeking to take on the CEO position long-term.

She commented: “Our team has a multiple current growth and operational projects that we will be concentrating on carrying out at pace.”

She said these included additional efforts on the organization's procurement system and menu innovation, and its rewards program.

The pizza chain is also in need of a full-time chief financial officer until the spring, when Andrea joins from the beverage producer a well-known firm. Until then, Richard Snow acts as interim finance chief.