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A chief executive of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the United Kingdom might have hit peak pizza while broadening the chain into chicken products has been replaced after tensions with its board.

Leadership Shake-Up

Andrew Rennie is departing after just two years in charge, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a new leader.

The outgoing executive, who was with Domino's for a substantial period, had sought to shift the UK's biggest pizza delivery company towards poultry-based products, remarking recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the British pizza industry. He said chicken was the quickest rising food category in the world.

Governance Disagreements

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between Rennie and the governance team over his focus and business vision, although the company's release said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”.

New Brand Launch

In the autumn, Domino's introduced its poultry offering – which the former chief called a “significant new phase” for the organization – and is piloting it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and the province.

While the firm is still planning to expand it across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as scheduled, it considers chicken products as complementary to its core pizza business.

Board Statement

Ian Bull, the Domino's chairman, commented: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and value creation in the main pizza segment. We are concentrating on finding the ideal CEO to oversee the systematic rollout of that development approach.”

Industry Difficulties

In the latest update, Domino's, which has 13 million customers in the UK and Ireland, said transactions declined by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In August, it cautioned that the food delivery sector had “become tougher” as it attributed reduced spending in the run-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Rival chains are also struggling. Pizza Hut disclosed the closure of multiple locations a recently, after the business behind its UK venues faced financial collapse.

Wellness Initiatives

Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards healthier eating, Domino's has launched lower-calorie items, such as its thin-crust selection of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and gluten-free options. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 calories. A family cheese pizza has 2,171 kcal, while a small has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and previously worked for the betting firm William Hill. It is thought that she is not seeking to occupy the chief executive role long-term.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a multiple ongoing development and efficiency programs that we will be concentrating on implementing at a rapid rate.”

She said these included ongoing development on the organization's logistics network and menu innovation, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also in need of a full-time finance director until the spring, when Andrea comes aboard from the beverage producer C&C Group. In the meantime, Snow serves as temporary CFO.