Target launches Missoni collection to heavy Web and store traffic; site crashes

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. said Tuesday that its entire website crashed due to unusually high demand for its just-released Missoni for Target collection. Various newspapers reported that the collection was flying off the shelves of stores, and that some stores were sold out within minutes.



The hotly anticipated Missoni line features some 400 items, ranging from housewares to apparel. It is Target’s largest, limited-time designer collection to date.



Target posted a note on its website : "Woof! We are suddenly extremely popular. You may not be able to access our site momentarily due to unusually high traffic. Please stay here and we'll try to get you in as soon as we can!"



The chain also apologized via Twitter: "Apologies to #Target shoppers mad for #MissoniforTarget -- we're working on getting Target.com back up!"



Target previewed the new collection last week with a pop-up store in mid-town Manhattan. The retailer had to shut down the store a day ahead of schedule when it ran out of inventory.