The Parent Company of Lilly Pulitzer Is Surging After People Go Crazy for Its Line at Target

NEW YORK, United States — The highly anticipated Lilly Pulitzer collection for Target launched on Sunday, with fans either lining up outside stores or anxiously sitting by their computers hoping to get a piece of the action.

First announced back in January, Target said it would be featuring an exclusive, limited edition 250 piece collection including clothing, beauty products, and home goods from the Palm Beach-style designer, which is known for its bright, colorful, and floral prints.

Items were quick to sell out, and high demand is causing shares of Oxford industries, the parent company of Lilly Pulitzer and other name brands, to surge today, rising more than 9 percent. Here is a two-day chart:

Many shoppers took to Twitter on Sunday, with consumers tweeting and sharing pictures from Target locations across the U.S. Items quickly sold out both in-store and online.

Around 1 a.m. New York time, Target said on its Twitter feed that the website was “updating and will be shoppable soon.” About five hours later, the company said it was working. But to the dismay of many, the site said much of the line was sold out at that point.

Some people blamed the rapid sellout on people rushing to the stores and then reselling items on auction websites like EBay.

While others compared the shopping experience to The Hunger Games.

Shares of Target weren't doing as well today, up about half a percent.

By Julie Verhage; editor: Joseph Weisenthal.