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A head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have reached maximum pizza demand while expanding the chain into chicken products has been removed after disagreements with its board.

Leadership Change

Rennie is exiting after only 24 months in leadership, and will be replaced on an acting basis by the organization's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who served at Domino's for more than two decades, had sought to pivot the UK's leading pizza delivery company towards poultry-based products, commenting recently there was not “massive growth” left in the British pizza industry. He noted chicken was the quickest rising protein in the globe.

Board Tensions

Reports indicate that there was friction between the CEO and the board over his approach and direction, although Domino's announcement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

New Product Launch

In the autumn, the chain launched its chicken-focused offering – which the former chief called a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is piloting it in 210 outlets in the North West region and the province.

While the firm is still planning to expand it across its nearly 1,400 branches next year as planned, it views fried chicken as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Comment

Bull, the company chair, commented: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to enhance value and value creation in Domino's core business. We are focused on selecting the right chief executive to lead the careful implementation of that development approach.”

Industry Difficulties

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said transactions declined by one and a half percent in the Q3. In August, it warned that the takeaway market had “grown more challenging” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the period before the budget and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in six-month income.

Rival chains are also struggling. Another major chain announced the shutting of dozens of outlets a last month, after the business behind its British operations faced financial collapse.

Health Efforts

Adapting to market shifts towards better nutrition, Domino's has introduced lower-calorie products, such as its thin-crust selection of bakes below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and allergy-friendly options. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a small has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

Nicola Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and had a background at the betting firm a well-known operator. It is understood that she is not seeking to take on the CEO position permanently.

She said: “Our team has a number of active development and efficiency programs that we will be dedicated to implementing at pace.”

She added these comprised additional efforts on the company's procurement system and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also without a permanent finance director until the spring, when a new appointee comes aboard from the beverage producer C&C Group. For now, Richard Snow serves as interim finance chief.