TGT Target Corp

By Khadeeja Safdar 

Target Corp. held its annual designer sale Sunday, but this year's collaboration with Finland's Marimekko failed to spark the excitement of previous collections when frenzied shoppers cleaned out stores and crashed Target's website.

More than 200 discounted Marimekko items, from $20 bikini tops to $65 hammocks, went on sale early Sunday morning and at midday most of the items were still available on Target's site. Early crowds at three New York-area stores were sparse, and many of those shopping were Europeans more familiar with the brand than Americans.

Last year "it was a mob scene, people grabbing everything they could, shopping carts were overflowing," said Robin Rokuson, one of a handful of shoppers Sunday morning at a Target in Valley Stream, N.Y. "Here you could walk in, there were like three people and you could get what you want."

Lilly Pulitzer is a much more defined lifestyle brand and offered a more varied collection than Marimekko, said her son Craig Rokuson. He said he purchased several items online and as well as about $300 worth of Marimekko housewares at a Target in Mount Kisco, N.Y. that was otherwise quiet.

"Who they decide to partner with is crucially important," Mr. Rokuson said. "They have to go in with a brand that people who do shop at department stores are aware of."

In other years, customers have shown up in droves at the crack of dawn to shop Target's limited-edition merchandise. Target's website last year was overwhelmed with traffic and store shelves were emptied shortly after opening with discounted dresses and items from Palm Beach luxury brand Lilly Pulitzer.

"The purchase urgency was less than it was with the Lilly Pulitzer collection in the very early morning hours, but we won't have an accurate read until later," a Target spokesman said. "We don't intend for these to sell out in a day."

The limited collaborations with high-end designers have helped the world's second-largest discount retailer keep its cheap-chic appeal and draw in wealthier customers. The retailer says the one-off events are less about sales and more about generating buzz.

"We're pleased with how the collection came to life in the very early hours," the Target spokesman said. "What's most noticeable about this collection is how seamless the roll out was online."

Marimekko, based in Helsinki, first received attention among Americans in the 1960s when former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy bought several of its dresses to wear during the U.S. presidential campaign. The Nordic brand is known for its brightly colored fabrics and simple floral patterns, both in garments and home furnishings.

Verna Vuoripuro, a native of Finland who lives in New York City, said some of her Finnish friends were planning to shop Sunday's sale. "I don't know any Americans who know about it," she said.

Standing in line before the store opened in East Harlem, New York City, with about 15 other shoppers, Tuomas Hiltunen, who teaches Finnish at Columbia University, said he received requests from his sisters back home in Finland. "I think this is whetting the appetite for Americans," he said.

"A lot of guests seem to know the brand from Finland," said Jose Estrella, 32, the store manager.

As in previous years, dozens of items from the Target collection appeared for resale on eBay shortly after they were released. But the products weren't selling quickly on the U.S. version of eBay. As of Sunday noon eastern daylight-saving time, fewer than 20 items were sold from the collection on eBay.

Robert Bates, 29, listed some items from the Marimekko collection on eBay for a few dollars more than the original price. He noticed a more muted response than in prior years. "This time, it didn't sell as much on eBay," he said.

He went to his local Target store in Barboursville, W.Va., 10 minutes before it opened on Sunday. "No one even knew what was going on," he said. "We got what we wanted."

Write to Khadeeja Safdar at khadeeja.safdar@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 17, 2016 14:58 ET (18:58 GMT)

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