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The chief executive of Domino's Pizza Group who proposed the United Kingdom might have hit pizza saturation while broadening the company into poultry items has been ousted after conflicts with its board.

Executive Change

Rennie is leaving after just two years in leadership, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a permanent CEO.

The outgoing executive, who served at the company for over 20 years, had aimed to shift Britain's leading pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, commenting recently there was not “huge potential” left in the British pizza industry. He noted chicken was the quickest rising menu item in the world.

Board Friction

It is understood that there was disagreement between the CEO and the board over his strategy and business vision, although the company's announcement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Product Introduction

In the autumn, the chain launched its poultry brand – which the former chief called a “bold new chapter” for the organization – and is trialling it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and the province.

While the business is still going to roll it out across its extensive network next year as scheduled, it considers fried chicken as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Statement

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, said: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to boost expansion and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are concentrating on selecting the right chief executive to oversee the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Industry Challenges

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said transactions declined by 1.5% in the latest quarter. In August, it cautioned that the food delivery sector had “grown more challenging” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the period before the budget and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in interim earnings.

Competitors are also struggling. Pizza Hut announced the closure of 68 restaurants a month ago, after the business behind its British operations entered insolvency.

Health Efforts

Adapting to market shifts towards better nutrition, the company has introduced reduced-calorie options, such as its Thin & Crispy line of pizzas below 400 calories as well as vegan and wheat-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a small has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Management

The interim chief has been with Domino's since the recent past, and had a background at the gaming group a well-known operator. It is thought that she is not seeking to assume the CEO position on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a multiple active growth and efficiency programs that we will be dedicated to executing at a rapid rate.”

Frampton noted these involved further work on the company's logistics network and product development, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also in need of a long-term chief financial officer until the spring, when Andrea joins from the drinks company C&C Group. In the meantime, Richard Snow acts as interim finance chief.