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As e-retailers clamour for space to warehouse their goods, a lack of available industrial space in Vancouver is beginning to push businesses and jobs into other provinces, analysts say.

Demand is currently outpacing supply in the west coast city by more than a million square feet a month despite a raft of speculative construction.

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Developers are building on every vacant piece of dirt they own and it’s still not enough

“Developers are building on every vacant piece of dirt they own and it’s still not enough,” said Chris MacCauley, senior vice president of industrial properties at CBRE Group Inc. in Vancouver. “I have a lineup of clients looking for 4 million square feet in the Vancouver market right now. That equates to thousands of jobs and we just can’t find a place for it.”

An ongoing shift to online shopping has prompted a voracious appetite for industrial real estate among e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com Inc. who depend on a network of distribution centres to ensure same-day or next-day delivery to customers.