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A head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who suggested the UK might have reached pizza saturation while expanding the franchise into chicken products has been replaced after conflicts with its board.

Executive Shake-Up

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

The outgoing executive, who was with Domino's for more than two decades, had sought to pivot Britain's leading pizza delivery company towards chicken offerings, remarking recently there was not “huge potential” left in the British pizza industry. He said poultry was the quickest rising protein in the world.

Governance Disagreements

Sources suggest that there was disagreement between the CEO and the directors over his strategy and direction, although the company's official statement said he was departing “through mutual consent”.

New Product Launch

In the autumn, the chain launched its poultry offering – which the former chief referred to as a “bold new chapter” for the group – and is trialling it in select stores in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the company is still intending to launch it across its extensive network in 2026 as scheduled, it views fried chicken as a supplement for its core pizza business.

Leadership Statement

Bull, the Domino's chair, commented: “Directors think that there are a range of possibilities to drive further growth and profitability in our primary operations. We are prioritizing finding the suitable leader to lead the systematic rollout of that expansion plan.”

Market Difficulties

In the latest update, Domino's, which has a substantial customer base in the UK and Ireland, said sales dipped by one and a half percent in the third quarter. In August, it alerted that the takeaway market had “grown more challenging” as it attributed reduced spending in the period before the government announcement and higher payroll outlays for below-target performance and a 15% drop in interim earnings.

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

Health Initiatives

Adapting to customer preferences towards better nutrition, Domino's has launched lower-calorie items, such as its light base line of pizzas below 400 calories as well as meat-free and gluten-free options. A family-sized pepperoni has over 2,300 kcal. A family cheese pizza has over 2,100, while a personal has 909 calories.

Acting Leadership

Frampton has been with the company since 2021, and had a background at the gaming group a well-known operator. It is believed that she is not seeking to take on the chief executive role on a full-time basis.

She commented: “We have a multiple active expansion and efficiency programs that we will be dedicated to carrying out at a rapid rate.”

She said these included ongoing development on the organization's logistics network and product development, and its rewards program.

The pizza chain is also without a long-term chief financial officer until March 16, when a new appointee comes aboard from the beverage producer C&C Group. In the meantime, Snow is interim finance chief.