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The boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who proposed the UK might have hit pizza saturation while broadening the franchise into fried chicken has been replaced after disagreements with its directors.

Executive Transition

Andrew Rennie is departing after a brief tenure in charge, and will be replaced on an interim basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a permanent CEO.

Rennie, who worked for the company for a substantial period, had aimed to redirect the UK's biggest pizza takeaway chain towards chicken offerings, remarking recently there was not “massive growth” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He said chicken was the fastest-growing protein in the globe.

Governance Friction

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between Rennie and the directors over his approach and management style, although Domino's announcement said he was stepping down “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Product Launch

In the autumn, Domino's unveiled its Chick 'N' Dip offering – which Rennie referred to as a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is testing it in over 200 locations in the North West region and the province.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores in the coming year as planned, it regards fried chicken as complementary to its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Comment

Ian Bull, the Domino's chair, commented: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and profitability in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on finding the ideal CEO to oversee the careful implementation of that growth strategy.”

Industry Challenges

Earlier this month, Domino's, which has millions of users in the British Isles, said orders declined by 1.5% in the Q3. In the summer, it warned that the quick-service industry had “grown more challenging” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the period before the budget and rising wage costs for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

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

Wellness Efforts

Adapting to consumer trends towards balanced diets, Domino's has launched lower-calorie options, such as its thin-crust range of pizzas below 400 kcals as well as meat-free and allergy-friendly options. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A big margherita has 2,171, while a personal has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Management

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and previously worked for the gaming group a well-known operator. It is thought that she prefers not to take on the top job long-term.

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

Frampton noted these comprised further work on the company's supply chain and product development, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also in need of a permanent finance director until 16 March, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the drinks company a well-known firm. In the meantime, Snow serves as acting financial officer.