Heard it on the Grapevine

As the UK's largest pub operator, there is always plenty going on at Punch Taverns and so to keep us journos and other industry watchers abreast of all the news, the company helpfully sends out a weekly e-mail, known as the Grapevine.

In last week's edition, we learnt that the Green Man in London is installing an ATM machine, in a project dubbed 'Hole in the Wall' (catchy). Meanwhile, in the managed division, Spirit, the Wheatstone Inn in Gloucester was re-opening while the Half Moon in Worksop was hosting a charity talent contest.

All good stuff, no doubt, but for some reason, the e-mail did not carry the rather bigger news that the head of the Spirit division, Andrew Knight, left the business rather abruptly (or so it seemed) last Monday, and was replaced by former Whitbread heavyweight Mike Tye

The rumour mill kicked into overdrive as whispers began that Knight had not exactly been preparing for life after Punch - in fact Caterer spent the day with Knight last month discussing his plans for the future of its managed houses.

One wonders if Knight was pondering the words of the late, great Marvin Gaye. "It took me by surprise I must say, when I found out yesterday, I heard it through the grapevine."