🔗 Share this article Has Pizza Peaked? Domino's Pizza CEO Steps Down Following Pivot Towards Chicken. The chief executive of Domino's Pizza Group who indicated the United Kingdom might have reached peak pizza while broadening the company into chicken products has been ousted after tensions with its governing body. Executive Change The former CEO is leaving after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be replaced on an acting basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while the pizza giant searches for a permanent CEO. Rennie, who was with the company for over 20 years, had sought to shift Britain's biggest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, commenting in a recent interview there was not “huge potential” left in the UK's pizza market. He noted chicken was the fastest-growing protein in the international market. Governance Disagreements Reports indicate that there was friction between Rennie and the board over his strategy and direction, although Domino's official statement said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”. New Brand Launch In the autumn, the chain introduced its chicken-focused product line – which the former chief referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the company – and is trialling it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland. While the business is still going to roll it out across its nearly 1,400 branches in the coming year as scheduled, it regards fried chicken as complementary to its main pizza offerings. Leadership Comment Bull, the company chairman, commented: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to enhance value and performance improvement in the main pizza segment. We are focused on finding the ideal CEO to oversee the careful implementation of that growth strategy.” Industry Difficulties Earlier this month, the pizza delivery giant, which has a substantial customer base in the British Isles, said sales declined by one and a half percent in the latest quarter. In August, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “intensified” as it attributed weaker consumer confidence in the period before the budget and increasing labor expenses for below-target performance and a significant fall in interim earnings. Rival chains are also struggling. Another major chain revealed the closure of multiple locations a recently, after the firm behind its UK venues faced financial collapse. Health Efforts Adapting to customer preferences towards better nutrition, Domino's has launched lower-calorie options, such as its Thin & Crispy range of pizzas below 400 kcals as well as plant-based and allergy-friendly options. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 kcals. A big margherita has 2,171 kcal, while a small has 909 kcal. Acting Management The interim chief has been with Domino's since the recent past, and had a background at the gambling company a well-known operator. It is understood that she does not want to take on the top job permanently. Frampton stated: “We have a multiple current growth and performance initiatives that we will be focused on implementing at pace.” Frampton noted these comprised ongoing development on the company's procurement system and menu innovation, and its rewards program. Domino's is also without a permanent CFO until 16 March, when a new appointee comes aboard from the drinks company a well-known firm. In the meantime, Snow serves as interim finance chief.