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The chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the United Kingdom might have hit maximum pizza demand while expanding the company into poultry items has been replaced after disagreements with its board.

Executive Shake-Up

Rennie is exiting after just two years in leadership, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who was with Domino's for more than two decades, had attempted to redirect the UK's leading pizza delivery company towards poultry-based products, remarking recently there was not “massive growth” left in the British pizza industry. He observed chicken was the most rapidly expanding protein in the international market.

Governance Tensions

Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the directors over his focus and business vision, although Domino's announcement said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”.

New Brand Introduction

In September, the chain launched its poultry brand – which Rennie referred to as a “significant new phase” for the company – and is piloting it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and the province.

While the business is still intending to launch it across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as intended, it considers fried chicken as complementary to its core pizza business.

Leadership Statement

Bull, the Domino's chairman, stated: “The board believes that there are a series of prospects to drive further growth and value creation in Domino's core business. We are prioritizing selecting the ideal CEO to oversee the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

Industry Challenges

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said sales declined by one and a half percent in the third quarter. In the summer, it alerted that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it blamed reduced spending in the lead-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Pizza Hut revealed the closing of dozens of outlets a month ago, after the firm behind its UK venues faced financial collapse.

Health Initiatives

Adapting to market shifts towards better nutrition, Domino's has launched light items, such as its light base line of bakes below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and gluten-free pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

Nicola Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and had a background at the gaming group a well-known operator. It is believed that she prefers not to assume the CEO position permanently.

She commented: “The company has a number of ongoing expansion and performance initiatives that we will be concentrating on implementing at pace.”

Frampton noted these comprised further work on the organization's supply chain and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also without a long-term CFO until March 16, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the beverage producer a well-known firm. For now, Snow serves as temporary CFO.