SAN DIEGO-When the recession started in 2008, the retail sectordidn't seem like it was in the best shape. Consumer spending andretailer sales dropped dramatically, and after that, major chainslike Circuit City and Linens 'n Things shut down.

Many attendees at the International Council of Shopping Centers'Western Division conference here are making light of the recentannouncement that the recession is over, and Blockbuster Inc. justfiled for bankruptcy. But a panel of retailers presenting at theshow make it seem like boom times, with many of them forecastingambitious expansion plans.

Anna's Linens, which shares part of its name with one ofthe casualties of the times, is growing rapidly. The chain has 265locations right now, but management expects to grow that to 1,200eventually, adding 50 units next year. "We're here to grow," saidScott Gladstone, a vice president at the firm.