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A chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the United Kingdom might have hit maximum pizza demand while broadening the franchise into fried chicken has been replaced after tensions with its governing body.

Executive Change

Andrew Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the organization's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's looks for a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who worked for Domino's for more than two decades, had attempted to shift Britain's biggest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, commenting recently there was not “huge potential” left in the British pizza industry. He noted poultry was the fastest-growing menu item in the globe.

Governance Friction

It is understood that there was friction between Rennie and the board over his focus and management style, although the company's announcement said he was departing “as a joint decision”.

Recent Product Introduction

In September, the chain launched its Chick 'N' Dip product line – which the former chief referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the organization – and is piloting it in over 200 locations in the North West region and the province.

While the company is still intending to launch it across its nearly 1,400 branches in 2026 as intended, it regards chicken products as an addition to its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Statement

Ian Bull, the Domino's chair, stated: “We are confident that there are a series of prospects to drive further growth and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are focused on selecting the right chief executive to lead the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Industry Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has 13 million customers in the British Isles, said sales fell by 1.5% in the third quarter. In the summer, it warned that the food delivery sector had “grown more challenging” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the budget and rising wage costs for below-target performance and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Competitors are also facing challenges. Pizza Hut revealed the shutting of dozens of outlets a month ago, after the business behind its UK venues entered insolvency.

Health Initiatives

Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards better nutrition, the company has introduced lower-calorie options, such as its light base line of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and allergy-friendly options. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 kcals. A large cheese and tomato pizza has over 2,100, while a personal has 909 calories.

Interim Leadership

Nicola Frampton has been with Domino's since the recent past, and was formerly with the gaming group William Hill. It is thought that she is not seeking to assume the chief executive role long-term.

She said: “We have a several active development and operational projects that we will be focused on implementing at speed.”

She said these comprised further work on the organization's logistics network and product development, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also lacking a long-term finance director until March 16, when Andrea starts from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. Until then, Richard Snow acts as temporary CFO.