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A boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the UK might have hit peak pizza while diversifying the franchise into fried chicken has been removed after tensions with its board.

Executive Shake-Up

Andrew Rennie is leaving after only 24 months in the top role, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the organization's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who was with Domino's for more than two decades, had attempted to shift the UK's leading pizza takeaway chain towards poultry-based products, stating recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the UK's pizza market. He observed poultry was the fastest-growing menu item in the world.

Governance Tensions

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between the CEO and the directors over his focus and direction, although the company's release said he was leaving “through mutual consent”.

New Product Introduction

In September, Domino's launched its chicken-focused offering – which Rennie referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is testing it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still planning to expand it across its extensive network in 2026 as scheduled, it regards chicken products as complementary to its core pizza business.

Board Statement

The Domino's chair, the Domino's chair, stated: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to boost expansion and profitability in our primary operations. We are concentrating on identifying the suitable leader to direct the disciplined execution of that expansion plan.”

Market Difficulties

Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said orders declined by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In the summer, it alerted that the takeaway market had “intensified” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the run-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for below-target performance and a 15 percent decline in six-month income.

Rival chains are also facing challenges. Pizza Hut disclosed the closure of multiple locations a recently, after the firm behind its outlets fell into administration.

Health Efforts

Responding to customer preferences towards balanced diets, the company has launched reduced-calorie items, such as its Thin & Crispy selection of bakes below 400 calories as well as vegan and wheat-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has 2,311 calories. A big margherita has 2,171 kcal, while a small has 909 calories.

Acting Management

Frampton has been with Domino's since 2021, and previously worked for the gambling company a well-known operator. It is believed that she prefers not to assume the CEO position permanently.

She commented: “Our team has a number of current expansion and performance initiatives that we will be concentrating on implementing at speed.”

Frampton noted these involved ongoing development on the company's procurement system and menu innovation, and its rewards program.

Domino's is also lacking a permanent finance director until March 16, when Andrea joins from the drinks company a well-known firm. In the meantime, Snow is temporary CFO.