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

Leadership Change

Rennie is departing after only 24 months in the top role, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the organization's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a new leader.

Rennie, who was with the company for over 20 years, had sought to shift the UK's biggest pizza food delivery firm towards poultry-based products, remarking recently there was not “significant expansion” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He observed chicken was the quickest rising protein in the globe.

Governance Disagreements

It is understood that there was disagreement between the CEO and the board over his focus and direction, although Domino's release said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”.

New Brand Introduction

In September, Domino's unveiled its poultry brand – which the former chief referred to as a “major strategic shift” for the company – and is piloting it in select stores in the north-west of England and the province.

While the company is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches next year as intended, it views fried chicken as an addition to its main pizza offerings.

Board Comment

The Domino's chair, the company chairman, commented: “We are confident that there are a range of possibilities to enhance value and profitability in the main pizza segment. We are focused on finding the ideal CEO to lead the systematic rollout of that development approach.”

Industry Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said orders fell by 1.5 percent in the Q3. In the summer, it warned that the quick-service industry had “intensified” as it blamed weaker consumer confidence in the run-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a 15 percent decline in interim earnings.

Other pizza operators are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the closure of multiple locations a month ago, after the business behind its outlets fell into administration.

Health Initiatives

Adapting to market shifts towards healthier eating, the company has introduced reduced-calorie options, such as its thin-crust line of pizzas below 400 kcal as well as meat-free and wheat-free pizzas. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 kcals. A family cheese pizza has 2,171, while a individual has under 1,000 calories.

Interim Management

The interim chief has been with the company since the recent past, and had a background at the gambling company William Hill. It is believed that she is not seeking to assume the top job long-term.

Frampton stated: “We have a several ongoing expansion and operational projects that we will be concentrating on implementing at speed.”

She said these comprised additional efforts on the company's logistics network and menu innovation, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also without a full-time chief financial officer until March 16, when a new appointee starts from the drinks company C&C Group. For now, Snow acts as acting financial officer.