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A boss of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the UK might have reached pizza saturation while broadening the chain into poultry items has been removed after disagreements with its governing body.

Executive Change

The former CEO is leaving after only 24 months in charge, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's looks for a permanent CEO.

The outgoing executive, who worked for the company for over 20 years, had attempted to shift the UK's leading pizza food delivery firm towards chicken offerings, remarking earlier this month there was not “huge potential” left in the British pizza industry. He said chicken was the fastest-growing protein in the globe.

Governance Tensions

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between Rennie and the governance team over his strategy and business vision, although Domino's official statement said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

Recent Product Introduction

In the autumn, Domino's launched its poultry offering – which the former chief called a “bold new chapter” for the organization – and is trialling it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still planning to expand it across its almost 1,400 stores next year as intended, it views chicken products as an addition to its core pizza business.

Leadership Comment

Ian Bull, the Domino's chairman, stated: “The board believes that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and performance improvement in the main pizza segment. We are focused on identifying the suitable leader to lead the disciplined execution of that expansion plan.”

Industry Challenges

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by 1.5 percent in the Q3. In the summer, it alerted that the takeaway market had “intensified” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the budget and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Competitors are also facing challenges. Another major chain revealed the closing of dozens of outlets a last month, after the business behind its UK venues faced financial collapse.

Wellness Initiatives

Adapting to market shifts towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced light products, such as its thin-crust line of bakes below 400 calories as well as vegan and allergy-friendly options. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A big margherita has over 2,100, while a personal has 909 kcal.

Interim Leadership

The interim chief has been with Domino's since the recent past, and previously worked for the gambling company a well-known operator. It is understood that she is not seeking to occupy the top job long-term.

She commented: “Our team has a multiple ongoing growth and efficiency programs that we will be concentrating on carrying out at a rapid rate.”

Frampton noted these involved additional efforts on the company's logistics network and menu innovation, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also in need of a full-time finance director until 16 March, when Andrea comes aboard from the drinks company a well-known firm. Until then, Snow serves as acting financial officer.