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The chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the United Kingdom might have hit pizza saturation while broadening the company into chicken products has been ousted after tensions with its directors.

Leadership Change

Andrew Rennie is exiting after only 24 months in the top role, and will be replaced on an acting basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a new leader.

Rennie, who worked for the company for a substantial period, had attempted to shift the UK's leading pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, commenting recently there was not “huge potential” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He said chicken was the quickest rising menu item in the world.

Governance Disagreements

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between the CEO and the directors over his strategy and business vision, although Domino's release said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

New Product Launch

In the autumn, the chain launched its chicken-focused offering – which Rennie called a “significant new phase” for the company – and is testing it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and the province.

While the firm is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as scheduled, it considers fried chicken as an addition to its core pizza business.

Board Statement

Bull, the company chairman, commented: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to enhance value and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are concentrating on identifying the right chief executive to direct the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Market Difficulties

Recently, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said transactions declined by one and a half percent in the Q3. In August, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it attributed reduced spending in the run-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in six-month income.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Another major chain revealed the closing of multiple locations a month ago, after the business behind its UK venues entered insolvency.

Health Initiatives

Adapting to consumer trends towards balanced diets, the company has launched light items, such as its Thin & Crispy range of bakes below 400 kcals as well as plant-based and gluten-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a small has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and was formerly with the betting firm a well-known operator. It is understood that she does not want to occupy the CEO position permanently.

Frampton stated: “We have a number of current development and performance initiatives that we will be focused on executing at speed.”

She added these comprised ongoing development on the company's logistics network and new item creation, and its rewards program.

Domino's is also without a permanent finance director until the spring, when a new appointee starts from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. For now, Richard Snow is temporary CFO.