🔗 Share this article Peak Pizza? Domino's Pizza Chief Executive Departs Following Pivot Into Chicken. A head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the UK might have reached peak pizza while expanding the company into chicken products has been replaced after conflicts with its directors. Leadership Transition Andrew Rennie is leaving after a brief tenure in leadership, and will be succeeded on an temporary basis by the company's chief operating officer, Nicola Frampton, while Domino's seeks a new leader. Rennie, who served at the company for more than two decades, had aimed to pivot Britain's largest pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, stating earlier this month there was not “significant expansion” left in the British pizza industry. He said poultry was the fastest-growing protein in the international market. Board Disagreements It is understood that there was friction between the CEO and the board over his approach and management style, although Domino's announcement said he was leaving “as a joint decision”. New Product Introduction In September, the chain introduced its Chick 'N' Dip brand – which the former chief referred to as a “major strategic shift” for the organization – and is trialling it in 210 outlets in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland. While the firm is still going to roll it out across its almost 1,400 stores in the coming year as scheduled, it considers chicken products as an addition to its primary pizza operations. Board Statement The Domino's chair, the Domino's chairman, stated: “We are confident that there are a number of opportunities to boost expansion and value creation in our primary operations. We are concentrating on finding the right chief executive to lead the careful implementation of that development approach.” Market Difficulties Earlier this month, Domino's, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said transactions fell by 1.5 percent in the latest quarter. In August, it alerted that the takeaway market had “grown more challenging” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the run-up to the budget and increasing labor expenses for disappointing revenue and a significant fall in interim earnings. Other pizza operators are also experiencing difficulties. Pizza Hut announced the shutting of multiple locations a month ago, after the firm behind its outlets fell into administration. Health Efforts Responding to consumer trends towards better nutrition, Domino's has launched reduced-calorie options, such as its Thin & Crispy line of bakes below 400 kcal as well as vegan and wheat-free options. A big pepperoni bake has 2,311 calories. A large cheese and tomato pizza has over 2,100, while a small has 909 kcal. Interim Management Frampton has been with the company since the recent past, and had a background at the gaming group William Hill. It is thought that she is not seeking to take on the CEO position long-term. She said: “Our team has a number of active expansion and operational projects that we will be concentrating on executing at speed.” Frampton noted these involved additional efforts on the organization's logistics network and product development, and its customer retention initiative. Domino's is also in need of a long-term chief financial officer until the spring, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the beverage producer a well-known firm. In the meantime, Richard Snow is temporary CFO.