Target introduces brands aimed at attracting teens

Target is making a push to win over younger shoppers.

While many of its strategies have focused on millennials, the Minneapolis-based retailer is setting its sights more on Generation Z by introducing three new in-house brands in coming months, including its first foray into a private-label electronics brand.

Knowing that tech is one of the biggest fashion accessories for teens, Heyday will include playful cellphone cases, headphones, speakers and more, most of which will cost less than $20. The line will hit stores and Target.com next month.

In addition, two new clothing brands will debut in August. Wild Fable will offer young women trendy apparel and accessories to mix and match and will come in a wide range of sizes from 0 to 26W. Meanwhile, Original Use for young men will have a street-style aesthetic and will also be available in big and tall sizes.

Young adults already shop Target but may only do so in certain categories, said Target spokesman Joshua Thomas. So the hope is this will encourage them to shop more of the store.

"Thinking about the next generation of Target shoppers, we're looking to increase our relevancy and affinity with them," he said.

He added that it's a cohort that likes to shop in stores, so Target has been working to build out engaging in-store displays as well as online experiences to draw them in.

Some of the new lines are replacing older ones. For example, the women's clothing brand A New Day replaced Merona, and Universal Thread was more or less swapped out for Mossimo.

Others are new areas for the company altogether, such as Project 62, a modern furniture and home furnishings line.

Sniffing out deals on holiday weekends is a bargain-hunting tradition. Memorial Day weekend isn't usually as good for sales as July 4 or Labor Day, but there are always notable exceptions. Here's a look at some good deals and average ones:

Mattresses: Slickdeals.com and Dealnews.com say that mattress companies roll out new models in June, so May is a good time to get good deals on last season's models. Trust but verify such advice. Sales associates at Macy's Home store in Edina and Slumberland in Bloomington said this is not clearance time at their stores. A Macy's rep said January and February are better times to find closeout models. Slumberland said it varies by brand but they have very few closeouts now. Ask if the mattress is a closeout, and check the price tag for confirmation.

Major appliances: Good deals can be found, but many are no better than usual. Best Buy and Home Depot are offering a Whirlpool four-door French door stainless steel refrigerator Model WRX735SDHZ for about $1,599. That's a fairly low sale price, and it gets a good review from Consumer Reports. Do a little price search history online to see how good it is. The same fridge sold for $1,499 at Best Buy on Black Friday. Goedekers.com is currently selling it for $1,399 with free shipping and no tax. Consumers can show proof of the lower online price as a negotiating tool for a lower price locally. Most retailers will only price-match certain competitors, but a manager may shave some off to avoid losing a sale.

Other deals worth a look: MN Home Outlet stores in Burnsville, Coon Rapids and Woodbury (75 percent off most of the merchandise), Chocolat Celeste in St. Paul (50 percent off the red-white-blue collection), Target and Cub (Pepsi and Coke four 12-packs for $10), Home Depot (Kingsford charcoal two-pack of 18.6 pounds for $9.88), and Vigoro brown mulch, five bags for $10 (2 cubic feet each), Groupon and Living Social (25 percent off sitewide with code EXTRA25 and SAVE25, respectively), and most major thrift stores have 50 percent off on Memorial Day (Goodwill, Salvation Army, Value Village, Savers, Unique, Valu Thrift).