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The boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the United Kingdom might have reached peak pizza while diversifying the franchise into fried chicken has been removed after conflicts with its directors.

Executive Transition

Rennie is exiting after just two years in leadership, and will be replaced on an acting basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Frampton, while Domino's searches for a new leader.

Rennie, who worked for Domino's for a substantial period, had aimed to pivot Britain's leading pizza takeaway chain towards fried chicken, remarking recently there was not “massive growth” left in the British pizza industry. He said chicken was the fastest-growing menu item in the world.

Governance Tensions

Reports indicate that there was disagreement between Rennie and the directors over his strategy and business vision, although the company's announcement said he was stepping down “through mutual consent”.

Recent Brand Introduction

In September, Domino's launched its Chick 'N' Dip brand – which the former chief referred to as a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is piloting it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and the province.

While the company is still planning to expand it across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as planned, it considers chicken products as complementary to its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Statement

The Domino's chair, the company chairman, stated: “The board believes that there are a series of prospects to boost expansion and value creation in the main pizza segment. We are prioritizing selecting the right chief executive to oversee the disciplined execution of that expansion plan.”

Market Challenges

In the latest update, the pizza delivery giant, 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 August, it warned that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it attributed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the budget and rising wage costs for below-target performance and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Competitors are also experiencing difficulties. Another major chain revealed the closure of multiple locations a recently, after the firm behind its British operations fell into administration.

Wellness Efforts

Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards better nutrition, Domino's has launched reduced-calorie products, such as its thin-crust line of pizzas below 400 calories as well as plant-based and allergy-friendly options. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A big margherita has over 2,100, while a small has 909 calories.

Acting Management

The interim chief has been with Domino's since the recent past, and had a background at the betting firm William Hill. It is thought that she does not want to occupy the top job permanently.

She said: “Our team has a number of active expansion and performance initiatives that we will be focused on implementing at a rapid rate.”

She said these comprised further work on the organization's procurement system and menu innovation, and its customer retention initiative.

Domino's is also lacking a long-term CFO until March 16, when Andy Andrea starts from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. For now, Snow serves as interim finance chief.