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The head of Domino's Pizza Group who suggested the United Kingdom might have reached pizza saturation while broadening the company into chicken products has been ousted after tensions with its governing body.

Executive Transition

Rennie is leaving after only 24 months in leadership, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a new leader.

Rennie, who worked for Domino's for over 20 years, had sought to shift Britain's biggest pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, stating earlier this month there was not “significant expansion” left in the UK's pizza market. He observed poultry was the most rapidly expanding food category in the international market.

Governance Friction

Sources suggest that there was tension between the CEO and the board over his approach and management style, although the company's announcement said he was departing “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Brand Launch

In the autumn, Domino's unveiled its poultry offering – which the former chief described as a “bold new chapter” for the company – and is trialling it in select stores in the North West region and the province.

While the firm is still intending to launch it across its almost 1,400 stores next year as scheduled, it considers chicken products as an addition to its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Statement

Bull, the company chairman, said: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and profitability in Domino's core business. We are focused on finding the suitable leader to lead the disciplined execution of that growth strategy.”

Market Challenges

Recently, Domino's, which has a substantial customer base in the UK and Ireland, said transactions dipped by one and a half percent in the third quarter. In the summer, it warned that the quick-service industry had “become tougher” as it attributed weaker consumer confidence in the lead-up to the government announcement and increasing labor expenses for below-target performance and a 15 percent decline in six-month income.

Competitors are also facing challenges. Another major chain disclosed the shutting of 68 restaurants a recently, after the business behind its outlets entered insolvency.

Wellness Efforts

Trying to keep up with market shifts towards balanced diets, Domino's has rolled out reduced-calorie items, such as its thin-crust range 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 under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

The interim chief has been with the company since the recent past, and had a background at the gaming group a well-known operator. It is understood that she prefers not to assume the CEO position long-term.

Frampton stated: “Our team has a number of active development and efficiency programs that we will be concentrating on carrying out at a rapid rate.”

Frampton noted these involved additional efforts on the organization's procurement system and new item creation, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also in need of a permanent CFO until March 16, when Andy Andrea joins from the beverage producer C&C Group. Until then, Richard Snow is temporary CFO.