Tariff aftershocks have not subsided, and the clouds of war are rising again: the global retail industry is deeply trapped in a "double squeeze".

Noticeably, within less than a week of Iran's war initiation, consumer companies have begun forecasting its impact on their business. Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF.US) Chief Financial Officer Robert Bost on a performance conference call on Wednesday stated that as the conflict escalates, the company with procurement business in the Middle East expects to face "mild sales resistance". Abercrombie & Fitch has several stores in the region, including in Kuwait and the UAE. Over the past year, U.S. President Trump's policies have caused turmoil for retailers. Tariffs have forced many companies to raise prices and cut costs, while budget-conscious consumers have reduced non-essential spending and focused more on finding the best value for their money. Now, the war is adding uncertainty to the entire industry. "We don't know what's going to happen, but we hope it's temporary," PRADA Group CEO Andrea Gar told investors on a performance conference call on Thursday. The company stated that the most challenging situation currently is in Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait where it has stores. Lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret reported experiencing some shipping delays and had to close some stores in the region due to the conflict. As of now, Victoria's Secret anticipates the delays will not have a significant impact, and they do not have procurement business exposed to this risk. Outside of the clothing industry, food manufacturers are closely monitoring how soybean oil prices are being affected by the conflict. B&G Foods CEO Casey Keller stated on a performance conference call on Tuesday that he is "not particularly concerned at the moment, but it is definitely something we are keeping a close eye on, as we have already seen prices rise slightly." Some companies like Adidas have expressed that they expect to be able to handle the current disruptions. Executives of this sports brand stated on a conference call on Wednesday that even if the war leads to increased shipping and material costs, they currently do not see any "significant impact".