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The head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the UK might have hit pizza saturation while diversifying the chain into chicken products has been ousted after conflicts with its governing body.

Executive Shake-Up

Rennie is exiting after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who worked for Domino's for more than two decades, had attempted to redirect Britain's biggest pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, commenting in a recent interview there was not “significant expansion” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He noted chicken was the quickest rising food category in the international market.

Board Friction

Reports indicate that there was tension between Rennie and the board over his strategy and direction, although the company's official statement said he was departing “through mutual consent”.

Recent Product Introduction

In September, Domino's launched its poultry brand – which the former chief called a “significant new phase” for the company – and is trialling it in select stores in the north-west of England and the province.

While the company is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches next year as planned, it views fried chicken as an addition to its primary pizza operations.

Board Comment

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, stated: “Directors think that there are a series of prospects to drive further growth and profitability in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on finding the suitable leader to oversee the systematic rollout of that development approach.”

Market Challenges

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said transactions dipped by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In the summer, it cautioned that the quick-service industry had “grown more challenging” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the run-up to the budget and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in six-month income.

Rival chains are also facing challenges. Another major chain revealed the closure of 68 restaurants a recently, after the firm behind its British operations faced financial collapse.

Health Efforts

Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards healthier eating, Domino's has rolled out reduced-calorie options, such as its Thin & Crispy range of bakes below 400 kcal as well as plant-based and wheat-free pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has over 2,300 kcal. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171, while a personal has 909 calories.

Interim Leadership

The interim chief has been with the company since the recent past, and was formerly with the gambling company William Hill. It is thought that she does not want to assume the chief executive role long-term.

Frampton stated: “We have a number of current expansion and operational projects that we will be focused on carrying out at speed.”

Frampton noted these included additional efforts on the organization's supply chain and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also in need of a long-term CFO until the spring, when Andrea comes aboard from the beverage producer C&C Group. Until then, Richard Snow serves as interim finance chief.