Talk of Wetherspoon 'bust-up' as two executives leave pub group

• Wetherspoon's bar at Edinburgh Airport, one of its 40 outlets in Scotland. Picture: Jane Barlow

The group, which runs several hundred pubs in the UK and about 40 in Scotland, said finance director Keith Down and chief operating officer Paul Harbottle would go "in due course".

Tim Martin, founder chairman of Wetherspoon, thanked them for "their hard work and contribution to JD Wetherspoon over recent years".

Down, who is also company secretary, only joined the group from Tesco in 2008. Martin said later: "It's not a direct answer. I can't say there's a strategic difference (behind the departures]. There may be elements of that. I cannot comment on the reasons they are leaving."

He told The Scotsman he did not think the mystery behind the departures would damage the company's credibility. "There has to be evolution in boards and companies and that's been the case over the years," he said. "It's never been as radical as some companies that have resembled the battle of Culloden.

"It's difficult to blame individuals. I don't think it will be damaging to Wetherspoon, though. I have been with the company 31 years, chief executive John Hutson has been with us for 20 years and our four non-executive directors for several years.

"The City knows from our pubs that there's great managerial longevity at the coalface."

Wetherspoon, whose pubs include The Playfair in Edinburgh, said that Hutson would also become chief operating officer permanently. Down will be replaced temporarily by deputy finance director Kirk Davis.

It is understood both outgoing directors will receive golden goodbyes. Down is understood to have been on a basic salary of about 250,000 and Harbottle on about 225,000. Wetherspoon's shares closed down 3.8 per cent at 437.4p.