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The boss of Domino's Pizza Group who proposed the UK might have reached pizza saturation while diversifying the company into fried chicken has been removed after conflicts with its directors.

Executive Transition

The former CEO is leaving after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the company's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a long-term chief.

Rennie, who was with Domino's for a substantial period, had attempted to shift Britain's biggest pizza food delivery firm towards chicken offerings, remarking earlier this month there was not “significant expansion” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He noted chicken was the fastest-growing menu item in the globe.

Board Tensions

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between Rennie and the governance team over his approach and management style, although the company's release said he was leaving “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Introduction

In September, the chain introduced its chicken-focused product line – which the former chief called a “bold new chapter” for the company – and is piloting it in over 200 locations in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as planned, it regards fried chicken as a supplement for its core pizza business.

Leadership Comment

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, commented: “Directors think that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and performance improvement in the main pizza segment. We are focused on finding the ideal CEO to lead the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Market Difficulties

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said transactions declined by 1.5% in the latest quarter. In the summer, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the run-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

Other pizza operators are also struggling. Pizza Hut announced the closure of multiple locations a recently, after the business behind its British operations entered insolvency.

Wellness Efforts

Responding to customer preferences towards balanced diets, the company has introduced reduced-calorie items, such as its Thin & Crispy range of pizzas below 400 kcals as well as vegan and wheat-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a individual has 909 kcal.

Acting Leadership

Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and had a background at the betting firm William Hill. It is understood that she does not want to assume the top job permanently.

She commented: “The company has a multiple current development and operational projects that we will be focused on implementing at a rapid rate.”

Frampton noted these involved additional efforts on the company's supply chain and product development, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also without a long-term finance director until 16 March, when Andrea joins from the beverage producer a well-known firm. Until then, Richard Snow acts as acting financial officer.