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A chief executive of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the UK might have reached maximum pizza demand while expanding the chain into poultry items has been ousted after conflicts with its board.

Executive Change

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

The outgoing executive, who served at the company for over 20 years, had attempted to shift Britain's leading pizza takeaway chain towards chicken offerings, remarking earlier this month there was not “significant expansion” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He observed poultry was the fastest-growing food category in the world.

Board Tensions

Sources suggest that there was tension between Rennie and the directors over his strategy and business vision, although Domino's announcement said he was leaving “through mutual consent”.

New Brand Introduction

In the autumn, the chain launched its poultry brand – which Rennie described as a “significant new phase” for the group – and is testing it in select stores in the north-west of England and the province.

While the business is still going to roll it out across its almost 1,400 stores in the coming year as planned, it views chicken products as complementary to its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Statement

Ian Bull, the Domino's chair, commented: “We are confident that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and profitability in our primary operations. We are prioritizing selecting the ideal CEO to lead the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Market Challenges

Recently, Domino's, which has a substantial customer base in the UK and Ireland, said orders fell by one and a half percent in the third quarter. In the summer, it cautioned that the quick-service industry had “grown more challenging” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the run-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15 percent decline in six-month income.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut disclosed the shutting of dozens of outlets a last month, after the business behind its UK venues faced financial collapse.

Wellness Initiatives

Responding to market shifts towards better nutrition, Domino's has rolled out lower-calorie items, such as its thin-crust range of pizzas below 400 kcals as well as plant-based and allergy-friendly pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 calories. A big margherita has 2,171 kcal, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Management

Frampton has been with Domino's since the recent past, and had a background at the betting firm a well-known operator. It is understood that she prefers not to take on the chief executive role permanently.

She commented: “The company has a number of active expansion and efficiency programs that we will be focused on executing at speed.”

Frampton noted these involved additional efforts on the company's logistics network and product development, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also lacking a long-term chief financial officer until the spring, when Andrea starts from the beverage producer C&C Group. For now, Richard Snow serves as acting financial officer.