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The head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the United Kingdom might have hit peak pizza while diversifying the franchise into chicken products has been replaced after tensions with its governing body.

Leadership Transition

Andrew Rennie is departing after just two years in charge, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a long-term chief.

The outgoing executive, who was with Domino's for over 20 years, had attempted to shift the UK's biggest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, remarking recently there was not “massive growth” left in the UK's pizza market. He observed poultry was the quickest rising protein in the globe.

Governance Tensions

Reports indicate that there was tension between Rennie and the board over his focus and direction, although the company's official statement said he was departing “through mutual consent”.

Recent Product Launch

In September, Domino's unveiled its chicken-focused product line – which Rennie called a “bold new chapter” for the company – and is trialling it in over 200 locations in the north-west of England and the province.

While the business is still planning to expand it across its nearly 1,400 branches next year as intended, it considers fried chicken as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Statement

Bull, the Domino's chairman, said: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and value creation in Domino's core business. We are prioritizing finding the ideal CEO to direct the disciplined execution of that development approach.”

Market Challenges

Recently, Domino's, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said transactions declined by 1.5 percent in the latest quarter. In August, it warned that the food delivery sector had “become tougher” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the period before the government announcement and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in half-year profits.

Rival chains are also struggling. Pizza Hut announced the shutting of dozens of outlets a recently, after the business behind its British operations fell into administration.

Health Initiatives

Responding to customer preferences towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced light options, such as its thin-crust range of bakes below 400 kcals as well as meat-free and gluten-free pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 kcals. A big margherita has 2,171 kcal, while a small has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and had a background at the gambling company William Hill. It is believed that she is not seeking to assume the top job permanently.

She said: “We have a several ongoing growth and efficiency programs that we will be focused on executing at speed.”

She said these included ongoing development on the organization's procurement system and new item creation, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also without a permanent finance director until 16 March, when a new appointee comes aboard from the drinks company a well-known firm. Until then, Richard Snow acts as interim finance chief.