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

Leadership Change

Rennie is exiting after just two years in the top role, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's searches for a new leader.

Rennie, who served at the company for over 20 years, had aimed to shift Britain's leading pizza food delivery firm towards fried chicken, remarking in a recent interview there was not “massive growth” left in the British pizza industry. He said poultry was the fastest-growing protein in the globe.

Governance Tensions

Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the directors over his strategy and business vision, although Domino's official statement said he was departing “as a joint decision”.

New Brand Launch

In the autumn, the chain unveiled its chicken-focused offering – which the former chief called a “major strategic shift” for the group – and is testing it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and the province.

While the company is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in 2026 as planned, it considers chicken products as complementary to its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Statement

The Domino's chair, the company chair, stated: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and profitability in Domino's core business. We are focused on selecting the right chief executive to lead the disciplined execution of that development approach.”

Market Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the British Isles, said orders dipped by 1.5 percent in the Q3. In August, it warned that the quick-service industry had “become tougher” as it attributed weaker consumer confidence in the run-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also struggling. Another major chain disclosed the closure of 68 restaurants a last month, after the company behind its outlets fell into administration.

Wellness Efforts

Adapting to market shifts towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced light items, such as its Thin & Crispy range of bakes below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and gluten-free pizzas. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 calories. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a personal has 909 kcal.

Acting Leadership

Nicola Frampton has been with Domino's since the recent past, and had a background at the betting firm William Hill. It is thought that she prefers not to take on the chief executive role long-term.

She said: “Our team has a multiple active growth and performance initiatives that we will be dedicated to implementing at a rapid rate.”

She said these comprised additional efforts on the organization's procurement system and new item creation, and its rewards program.

Domino's is also in need of a permanent finance director until the spring, when Andrea joins from the Irish cider and beer maker C&C Group. In the meantime, Richard Snow acts as interim finance chief.