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A boss of Domino's Pizza Group who proposed the United Kingdom might have reached pizza saturation while diversifying the company into poultry items has been ousted after disagreements with its governing body.

Leadership Shake-Up

The former CEO is exiting after only 24 months in leadership, and will be succeeded on an interim basis by the company's operations head, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant looks for a new leader.

Rennie, who was with Domino's for over 20 years, had sought to shift Britain's largest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, stating recently there was not “huge potential” left in the UK's pizza market. He noted chicken was the fastest-growing food category in the international market.

Governance Friction

Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the board over his focus and management style, although Domino's release said he was departing “by mutual agreement”.

Recent Product Introduction

In September, the chain unveiled its chicken-focused offering – which the former chief referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the organization – and is piloting it in over 200 locations in the North West region and the province.

While the company is still planning to expand it across its extensive network in the coming year as planned, it considers chicken products as an addition to its core pizza business.

Leadership Comment

Ian Bull, the Domino's chair, stated: “The board believes that there are a series of prospects to drive further growth and value creation in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on finding the suitable leader to oversee the disciplined execution of that expansion plan.”

Industry Challenges

Recently, Domino's, which has a substantial customer base in the UK and Ireland, said orders dipped by 1.5% in the latest quarter. In August, it warned that the food delivery sector had “grown more challenging” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the lead-up to the government announcement and increasing labor expenses for weaker-than-expected sales and a 15% drop in interim earnings.

Rival chains are also struggling. Pizza Hut revealed the closing of 68 restaurants a recently, after the business behind its UK venues entered insolvency.

Wellness Initiatives

Trying to keep up with consumer trends towards healthier eating, Domino's has rolled out light options, such as its thin-crust line of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as vegan and wheat-free options. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 calories. A big margherita has 2,171, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Acting Leadership

Frampton has been with Domino's since the recent past, and was formerly with the gaming group a well-known operator. It is believed that she does not want to take on the CEO position long-term.

She commented: “We have a several current development and efficiency programs that we will be concentrating on implementing at speed.”

She said these involved additional efforts on the company's supply chain and menu innovation, and its rewards program.

Domino's is also in need of a long-term chief financial officer until the spring, when a new appointee comes aboard from the drinks company C&C Group. In the meantime, Snow is temporary CFO.