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Tupperware is the brand name of a home products line that includes preparation, storage, and serving products for the kitchen and home, which debuted in 1946.

Tupperware develops, manufactures, and internationally distributes its products by its parent company Tupperware Brands Corporation and it is marketed by means of direct sales through an independent sales force of approximately 1.9 million consultants.






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Encyclopedia


Tupperware is the brand name of a home products line that includes preparation, storage, and serving products for the kitchen and home, which debuted in 1946.

Tupperware develops, manufactures, and internationally distributes its products by its parent company Tupperware Brands Corporation and it is marketed by means of direct sales through an independent sales force of approximately 1.9 million consultants. Tupperware is a wholly owned subsidiary
Subsidiary

A subsidiary, in business matters, is an entity that is controlled by a bigger and more powerful entity. The controlled entity is called a company , corporation, or limited liability company, and the controlling entity is called its parent ....
 of Tupperware Brands Corporation.

In 2004, Tupperware Brands Corporation began using egg whites in the container manufacturing process. Although this cuts down on their greenhouse gas emissions, the process has been criticized for its wasteful nature.

In 2008, Tupperware Brands Corporation ranked #2 on Fortune Magazine’s coveted ‘Most Admired Household Products’ list.

Company history

Tupperware was developed in 1946 by Earl Silas Tupper
Earl Tupper

Earl Silas Tupper was the inventor of Tupperware, an airtight plastic container for storing food....
 (1907-1983) in the USA. He developed plastic containers used in households to contain food and keep it airtight. The formerly patented "burping seal" is a famous aspect of Tupperware, which distinguished it from competitors.

Tupperware pioneered the direct marketing
Direct marketing

Direct marketing is a sub-discipline and type of marketing. There are two main definitional characteristics which distinguish it from other types of marketing....
 strategy made famous by the Tupperware party
Party plan

The party plan is a method of marketing products by hosting a social event, using the event to display and demonstrate the product or products to those gathered, and then to take orders for the products before the gathering ends....
. Brownie Wise
Brownie Wise

Brownie Wise was a legendary saleswoman largely responsible for the success of Tupperware through her development of the "party plan" system of marketing....
 (1913-1992), a former sales representative of Stanley Home Products, developed the strategy. During the early 1950s, Tupperware's sales and popularity exploded, thanks in large part to Wise's influence among women who sold Tupperware, and some of the famous "jubilees" celebrating the success of Tupperware ladies at lavish and outlandishly themed parties. Tupperware was known -- at a time when women came back from working during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 only to be told to "go back to the kitchen" -- as a method of empowering women, and giving them a toehold in the post-war business world. The tradition of Tupperware's "Jubilee" style events continues to this day, with rallies being held in major cities to recognize and reward top-selling demonstrators, managers and distributorships.

In 1958, Earl Tupper fired Brownie Wise over general difference of opinion in the Tupperware business operation. It is believed that Tupper objected to the expenses incurred by the jubilee and other similar celebrations of Tupperware.

Tupperware spread to Europe in 1960 when Mila Pond hosted a Tupperware party in Weybridge
Weybridge

Not to be confused with Wadebridge, Cornwall, or weighbridgeWeybridge is a town in the Elmbridge district of Surrey in South East England....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, and subsequently around the world. In 2003, Tupperware closed down operations in the UK, citing customer dissatisfaction with their direct sales model as an issue , and relaunched after a restructuring in 2005.

Tupperware is now sold in almost 100 countries, after peaking at more than a hundred after 1996. The top eleven consumers of Tupperware are:
  1. Germany
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
  2. USA
  3. France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  4. Mexico
    Mexico

    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
  5. Russia
    Russia

    Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
  6. Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
    /New Zealand
    New Zealand

    New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
  7. Italy
    Italy

    Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
  8. Austria
    Austria

    Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It borders both Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west....
  9. South Africa
    South Africa

    The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
  10. Japan
    Japan

    Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
  11. India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....


Tupperware parties

Tupperware is still sold mostly through a party plan
Party plan

The party plan is a method of marketing products by hosting a social event, using the event to display and demonstrate the product or products to those gathered, and then to take orders for the products before the gathering ends....
, with rewards for hosts. A Tupperware party is run by a Tupperware consultant for a host who invites friends and neighbors into their home to see the product line. Tupperware hosts are rewarded with free products based on the level of sales made at their party. Parties also take place in workplaces, schools, and other community groups.

In most countries, Tupperware's sales force is organized in a tiered structure with consultants at the bottom, managers and star manager over them, and directors and Legacy executive directors at the top level (all levels remain consultants). In recent years, Tupperware has done away with distributorships in the U.S. This has allowed Tupperware more flexibility, and more generous commission and rewards for their consultants.

In recent years, Tupperware in North America has been moving to a new business model which includes more emphasis on direct marketing channels and reduced its dependency on authorized distributorships. This transition included such strategies as selling through Target stores in the US, and Superstores in Canada, with disappointing results. Tupperware states this hurt direct sales. In countries with a strong focus on marketing through parties (such as Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 and Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
/New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
), Tupperware's market share and profitability continue to grow.

In many countries, Tupperware products come with a lifetime guarantee. In India, there are some restrictions on the lifetime guarantee clause. In the UK/Ireland the guarantee is 10 years. The company is best known for its plastic bowls and storage containers, however in recent years has branched out into stainless steel cookware, fine cutlery, chef's knives and other kitchen gadgets. After experiencing a slump in sales and public image in the mid-1990s, the company created several new product lines to attract a younger market.

In some countries including Belgium, Australia and the US, Tupperware market their parties and career opportunities through mall kiosks from time to time.

In China, Tupperware products are sold through franchised "entrepreneurial shopfronts", of which there were 1900 in 2005, due to laws enacted in 1998 aimed at pyramid selling. The Chinese characters ??? are used as the brand name, and translate as "hundred benefit".

Product lines

Tupperware's product ranges are often marketed under different names in different markets, and the product ranges and colors themselves differ between markets. Some of Tupperware's most popular lines include:

  • Modular Mates (US, AU), Space Savers (UK), Kompakt-System (DE): These are oval and rectangular shaped containers that stack in a modular fashion to save pantry space and preserve food. Modular Mates have air-tight seals intended to keep food at optimum freshness for long periods of time.
  • Rock 'N Serve (US, AU), CrystalPlus (UK): These are containers for re-heating food in microwaves, and are advertised as freezer safe, stackable and dishwasher safe.
  • FridgeSmart (US, UK, AU), PrimaKlima (DE): With air control vents, FridgeSmart containers are modular containers intended for refrigerated fruits and vegetables. FridgeSmarts which have air control vents intended to allow different levels of airflow around different types of fruits and vegetables, as well as a corrugated bottom to allow them to store securely on a refrigerator shelf.
  • OvenWorks (US, AU), UltraPlus (UK, DE): plastic casseroles advertised as being safe when used in a microwave or a conventional oven, with heat resistant properties.
  • Sheerly Elegant (US), Eleganzia (UK, DE), Illusions (AU): A "glasslike" range of serving dishes
  • FlatOut! (US), MiniMax (UK, DE), Go Flex! (AU): Bowls that flatten for storage, and can be expanded when needed
  • Stuffables (US, UK), Bungee (DE): refrigerator storage with flexible lids for overfilling


"Chain of Confidence" program

On May 9, 2007, Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields

Brooke Christa Camille Shields is an American actor and supermodel. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon as well as tv shows such as Suddenly Susan and Lipstick Jungle ....
 as the celebrity spokesperson for Tupperware’s "Chain of Confidence" campaign in the USA. The campaign invites women to celebrate the strong bonds of female friendships and the self-confidence derived from those relationships.

serves as an online community where women can share their confidence stories with one another and join an online discussion about the importance of female friendships and confidence.

As part of Chain of Confidence, Tupperware is donating over one million dollars to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to sponsor — a program dedicated to promoting confidence in young girls ages 8-17.

In the media

The 2003 PBS documentary 'Tupperware!' covered the invention of Tupperware products by Earl Silas Tupper and the subsequent development of the Tupperware business. A number of plays and productions have been referenced the Tupperware party as a central theme. Dixie Longate, a drag queen with a stage show called 'Dixie's Tupperware Party' was Tupperware's top seller for the sales year ending 30 June, 2008.

See also

  • Tupperware Brands
    Tupperware Brands

    Tupperware Brands Corporation, formerly Tupperware Corporation, is a multinational company direct marketing company.BeautiControl, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tupperware Brands Corporation....
     Corporation
  • Earl Tupper
    Earl Tupper

    Earl Silas Tupper was the inventor of Tupperware, an airtight plastic container for storing food....


External links

  • program from PBS' American Experience, 2005