Canadian developers added retail space at a record pace while the country’s economy went through a recession, spurred on by shoppers and investors such as the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan continuing to spend.

Builders added about 6.8m square feet of retail space in the first half, more than in all of 2008, according to the Canadian unit of real-estate consulting firm CB Richard Ellis the largest publicly traded commercial- property broker.

'A record amount of new retail space continues to be delivered and constructed even though the retail sector is showing some signs of stress,' said CB Richard Ellis analyst Ricky Hernden in Toronto.

bloomberg.com