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A boss of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the UK might have reached maximum pizza demand while diversifying the franchise into poultry items has been replaced after conflicts with its governing body.

Executive Shake-Up

The former CEO is departing after a brief tenure in the top role, and will be replaced on an temporary basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's looks for a permanent CEO.

The outgoing executive, who served at the company for over 20 years, had sought to redirect Britain's biggest pizza delivery company towards fried chicken, remarking earlier this month there was not “massive growth” left in the UK's pizza market. He noted chicken was the most rapidly expanding menu item in the globe.

Board Disagreements

Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the directors over his strategy and management style, although Domino's official statement said he was stepping down “as a joint decision”.

New Product Introduction

In the autumn, Domino's introduced its chicken-focused brand – which the former chief described as a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is piloting it in select stores in the North West region and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still planning to expand it across its extensive network in 2026 as intended, it views fried chicken as an addition to its main pizza offerings.

Leadership Comment

Ian Bull, the company chair, stated: “The board believes that there are a series of prospects to boost expansion and performance improvement in our primary operations. We are prioritizing identifying the suitable leader to oversee the systematic rollout of that growth strategy.”

Market Difficulties

In the latest update, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the British Isles, said orders dipped by 1.5 percent in the latest quarter. In August, it warned that the food delivery sector had “become tougher” as it attributed reduced spending in the lead-up to the government announcement and increasing labor expenses for disappointing revenue and a significant fall in six-month income.

Competitors are also facing challenges. Another major chain disclosed the shutting of dozens of outlets a month ago, after the business behind its UK venues fell into administration.

Health Efforts

Trying to keep up with market shifts towards healthier eating, the company has introduced light options, such as its light base range of bakes below 400 kcals as well as meat-free and wheat-free options. A big pepperoni bake has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a small has 909 calories.

Interim Management

The interim chief has been with the company since 2021, and had a background at the gambling company William Hill. It is thought that she does not want to assume the chief executive role on a full-time basis.

She said: “We have a several active growth and performance initiatives that we will be focused on carrying out at pace.”

She said these involved ongoing development on the organization's logistics network and product development, and its customer retention initiative.

The pizza chain is also without a long-term CFO until 16 March, when Andy Andrea comes aboard from the drinks company C&C Group. In the meantime, Richard Snow serves as acting financial officer.