|
|||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tupperware |
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (December 2006) |
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (March 2007) |
 |
|
| Founded | 1946 in Orlando, Florida |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Earl S. Tupper |
| Key people | Rick Goings, Chairman and CEO |
| Website | www.tupperwarebrands.com |
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.1 Tupperware is a wholly owned subsidiary 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.citation needed
In 2008, Tupperware Brands Corporation ranked #2 on Fortune Magazine’s coveted ‘Most Admired Household Products’ list.2
Contents |
Tupperware was developed in 1946 by Earl Silas Tupper (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 strategy made famous by the Tupperware party. Brownie Wise (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 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.3
Tupperware spread to Europe in 1960 when Mila Pond hosted a Tupperware party in Weybridge, England, 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 4, and relaunched after a restructuring in 2005.citation needed
Tupperware is now sold in almost 100 countries, after peaking at more than a hundred after 1996.5 The top eleven consumers6 of Tupperware are:
Tupperware is still sold mostly through a party plan, 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.citation needed Tupperware states this hurt direct sales.7 In countries with a strong focus on marketing through parties (such as Germany and Australia/New Zealand), Tupperware's market share and profitability continue to grow.citation needed
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 years8. 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.910 The Chinese characters 特百惠 are used as the brand name, and translate as "hundred benefit".
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:
On May 9, 2007, Tupperware announced Brooke Shields 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.
ChainOfConfidence.com 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 SMART Girls — a program dedicated to promoting confidence in young girls ages 8-17.
The 2003 PBS documentary 'Tupperware!' covered the invention of Tupperware products by Earl Silas Tupper and the subsequent development of the Tupperware business.11 A number of plays and productions have been referenced the Tupperware party as a central theme.1 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, 2008.12
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
