The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that retail sales growth in Canada is continuing to outperform much of the world, a sign of the continuing resiliency of Canadian shoppers despite higher inflation and recession predictions, says a new report. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe says that the Colliers 2023 Retail Outlook said consumers are still spending, even though retail sales have cooled slightly from last year when prices spiked and interest rates began rising. Canadian retail sales climbed 2.4 per cent in March compared with the same month a year earlier, outperforming most developed markets. In comparison, U.S. retail sales edged up only 1.6 per cent while dropping in Britain, France and Germany. Still, new retail sales figures to be released by Statistics Canada this week could show signs of softening consumer spending and demand as borrowing costs rise and the labour market weakens, economists predict. Royal Bank of Canada economists Nathan Janzen and Carrie Freestone expect spending to weaken over the second half of this year, "even with surprising resilience year-to-date." Within Canada, Colliers reports that retail sales have been strongest in regions with a lower cost of living.