The days of selling within seasons are long gone; sales periods that once spanned months have now shrunk to weeks. This "multiplier" effect presents retailers with huge challenges, because shoppers want the latest, most fashionable products immediately.

The food supply chain has been a hot topic recently, with the horsemeat scandal creating a whirlwind of interest in an area which before had ticked along without very much attention at all.

Maersk has announced an investment into biomass research in a bis to reduce its bunker fuel consumption. According to the company, which has an annual fuel bill of $7bn, there has been no prior research into the possibility of using biomass in the shipping industry.

The success of online retailers has been linked to the demise of many high street shops in the UK, most recently HMV and Jessops. The remaining retailers have clear strategies which incorporate on-line shopping with home delivery and are often further supported by other initiatives, such as click and collect, where goods are ordered online but delivered to a third-party address, such as a local garage or convenience store, to avoid the disappointment of missed home deliveries.

More than half of chief procurement officers have agreed that their company pursues short-term savings from suppliers that undermine long-term value, according to a survey by the Consero Group.

When disaster strikes, aid workers and NGOs are on the ground within a matter of hours. While governments and charities around the world are arranging the dispatch of humanitarian aid from around the world, the next challenge for those on the ground is where to store it.

A study that polled procurement managers and directors from a range of firms across the UK found that while mid-market firms are often less likely to have robust processes and systems in place to counter bribery risk, companies at both ends of the spectrum appeared complacent when it came to vetting their suppliers for compliance with the Bribery Act.

Melting polar ice could create a new shipping lane through the North Pole by 2050, according to research by the University Of California at Los Angeles. In the future, melting sea ice could mean that ordinary shipping vessels will be able to navigate parts of the Arctic Ocean which were previously inaccessible, without the use of icebreakers to clear their route.

Global logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel have announced the restructuring of their European operations in the first step of a "comprehensive programme for increases in efficiency". In an online statement released on their website, KN explained it will optimize its regional structure beginning July 2013, beginning by merging the current organisational units of central Europe, northwest Europe and southwest Europe into one central region.