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The boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the UK might have reached maximum pizza demand while expanding the chain into chicken products has been removed after conflicts with its governing body.

Leadership Transition

The former CEO is departing after just two years in leadership, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Frampton, while the pizza giant seeks a permanent CEO.

The outgoing executive, who was with the company for a substantial period, had attempted to shift the UK's largest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, stating in a recent interview there was not “massive growth” left in the British pizza industry. He said chicken was the fastest-growing protein in the world.

Governance Disagreements

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between Rennie and the board over his strategy and management style, although Domino's official statement said he was leaving “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Product Launch

In the autumn, the chain introduced its chicken-focused offering – which the former chief described as a “major strategic shift” for the organization – and is trialling it in over 200 locations in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still going to roll it out across its almost 1,400 stores next year as intended, it considers chicken products as a supplement for its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Statement

Bull, the company chair, stated: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to drive further growth and value creation in Domino's core business. We are prioritizing selecting the ideal CEO to oversee the systematic rollout of that development approach.”

Market Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the British Isles, said orders fell by 1.5% in the latest quarter. In August, it warned that the takeaway market had “become tougher” as it blamed reduced spending in the lead-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a significant fall in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut disclosed the closure of 68 restaurants a recently, after the business behind its British operations faced financial collapse.

Health Initiatives

Responding to market shifts towards healthier eating, Domino's has introduced light options, such as its thin-crust line of bakes below 400 kcal as well as vegan and gluten-free options. A large pepperoni pizza has over 2,300 kcal. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Leadership

Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and previously worked for the gaming group William Hill. It is believed that she prefers not to occupy the CEO position on a full-time basis.

Frampton stated: “We have a multiple ongoing growth and performance initiatives that we will be concentrating on carrying out at a rapid rate.”

She added these involved ongoing development on the company's procurement system and product development, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also in need of a full-time finance director until March 16, when a new appointee joins from the Irish cider and beer maker a well-known firm. In the meantime, Richard Snow is interim finance chief.