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The head of the UK's Domino's Pizza chain who indicated the United Kingdom might have hit maximum pizza demand while expanding the chain into poultry items has been ousted after disagreements with its board.

Leadership Shake-Up

The former CEO is departing after just two years in charge, and will be succeeded on an acting basis by the company's operations head, Frampton, while Domino's seeks a long-term chief.

The outgoing executive, who served at the company for a substantial period, had sought to pivot Britain's largest pizza takeaway chain towards fried chicken, stating earlier this month there was not “massive growth” left in the pizza sector in the UK. He observed chicken was the quickest rising food category in the international market.

Board Friction

Reports indicate that there was tension between the CEO and the governance team over his approach and direction, although the company's official statement said he was leaving “as a joint decision”.

Recent Brand Introduction

In the autumn, the chain launched its chicken-focused offering – which the former chief referred to as a “major strategic shift” for the group – and is piloting it in select stores in the north-west of England and Northern Ireland.

While the firm is still going to roll it out across its extensive network in the coming year as planned, it considers fried chicken as a supplement for its primary pizza operations.

Leadership Comment

Ian Bull, the company chairman, said: “The board believes that there are a number of opportunities to enhance value and profitability in Domino's core business. We are concentrating on identifying the ideal CEO to direct the careful implementation of that growth strategy.”

Industry Difficulties

Recently, the pizza delivery giant, which has millions of users in the UK and Ireland, said transactions fell by one and a half percent in the third quarter. In the summer, it alerted that the food delivery sector had “grown more challenging” as it blamed economic uncertainty in the lead-up to the budget and higher payroll outlays for disappointing revenue and a significant fall in half-year profits.

Rival chains are also struggling. Pizza Hut announced the closure of multiple locations a month ago, after the firm behind its British operations fell into administration.

Health Initiatives

Adapting to market shifts towards balanced diets, the company has rolled out reduced-calorie products, such as its thin-crust selection of bakes below 400 calories as well as meat-free and gluten-free pizzas. A family-sized pepperoni has 2,311 kcals. A large cheese and tomato pizza has 2,171, while a individual has 909 calories.

Interim Management

Frampton has been with Domino's since the recent past, and had a background at the gambling company William Hill. It is thought that she is not seeking to occupy the chief executive role long-term.

She said: “We have a several ongoing expansion and operational projects that we will be focused on implementing at a rapid rate.”

Frampton noted these included additional efforts on the organization's logistics network and menu innovation, and its loyalty scheme.

Domino's is also without a full-time chief financial officer until the spring, when Andy Andrea joins from the drinks company a well-known firm. Until then, Richard Snow acts as interim finance chief.