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The chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the UK might have reached maximum pizza demand while broadening the chain into poultry items has been replaced after conflicts with its directors.

Leadership Shake-Up

The former CEO is exiting after just two years in charge, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who worked for the company for more than two decades, had attempted to redirect the UK's leading pizza takeaway chain towards fried chicken, commenting recently 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 international market.

Governance Tensions

It is understood that there was friction between Rennie and the directors over his focus and management style, although the company's official statement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

New Product Introduction

In the autumn, Domino's launched its chicken-focused offering – which Rennie referred to as a “significant new phase” for the company – and is testing it in select stores in the North West region and the province.

While the firm is still going to roll it out across its extensive network in the coming year as scheduled, it views chicken products as a supplement for its primary pizza operations.

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the Domino's chairman, said: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to enhance value and value creation in our primary operations. We are prioritizing identifying the ideal CEO to oversee the systematic rollout of that development approach.”

Industry Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the British Isles, said sales dipped by one and a half percent in the Q3. In the summer, it warned that the quick-service industry had “become tougher” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the run-up to the government announcement and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in interim earnings.

Other pizza operators are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut revealed the closing of 68 restaurants a last month, after the company behind its UK venues entered insolvency.

Health Efforts

Adapting to customer preferences towards balanced diets, Domino's has introduced lower-calorie items, such as its Thin & Crispy line of bakes below 400 kcal as well as vegan and gluten-free options. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A big margherita has 2,171 kcal, while a personal has 909 calories.

Acting Leadership

Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and was formerly with the gaming group a well-known operator. It is thought that she is not seeking to assume the top job on a full-time basis.

She said: “The company has a several active development and operational projects that we will be dedicated to carrying out at speed.”

She said these included additional efforts on the company's supply chain and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also in need of a permanent CFO until March 16, when a new appointee comes aboard from the beverage producer a well-known firm. For now, Richard Snow serves as acting financial officer.