Tupperware

Earl Tupper (1907–1983) asked for pure polyethylene pellets from Dupont to build Tupperware products in 1938.[4] He developed the first product in 1946 in Leominster, Massachusetts.[5] The polyethylene plastic containers could be used in households to contain food and keep them airtight, and featured a "burping seal" that was patented in 1949.[6]

The product became notable with a sale-through-presentation idea, held in a party setting.[7] Tupperware developed a direct marketing strategy known as the party plan to sell products. The party plan called Tupperware party enabled women of the 1950s to earn an income while keeping their focus in the domestic domain.[8] Brownie Wise (1913–1992), a former sales representative of Stanley Home Products, started organizing more of these parties and was soon made vice president of marketing in 1951.[9][10] Later, she created Tupperware Parties Inc.[11]

During the early 1950s Tupperware products gained popularity and sales increased. The company continued the Tupperware parties and rewarded top-selling women.[12][13][14]

Tupperware expanded to Europe in 1960 when Mila Pond hosted Tupperware parties in Weybridge, England, and other locations around the world.[15] A comparison technique called "carrot calling" was used by the representatives wherein they would travel door-to-door in a neighborhood and ask housewives to compare carrots placed in a Tupperware container with anything that they would have ordinarily left them in. These would lead to scheduling of a Tupperware party.[15]

In 1977, Rexall, the owner of the Tupperware brand, sold its namesake drugstores and renamed itself Dart Industries. Dart merged with Kraft Foods to form Dart & Kraft. The company demerged, with the former Dart assets renamed to Premark International. Tupperware Brands was spun off from Premark in 1996.[16]

In 2003 Tupperware closed down operations in the UK and Ireland, citing customer dissatisfaction with their direct sales model.[17][18] The company relaunched in the UK in mid-2011,[19] and recruited UK staff, but in December the relaunch was canceled.[20]

As of 2007 Tupperware was sold by means of approximately 1.9 million direct salespeople on contract.[21]

In May 2018, the Israeli daily TheMarker reported that Tupperware will withdraw from Israel leaving 2,000 agents without a job.[22] Tupperware Israel relaunched in December 2020 as an online shop.[23] In March 2021 Tupperware closed down operations in the Netherlands.[24] In August 2022, Tupperware announced it would be leaving the New Zealand market in late 2022.[25]

On November 2, 2022, after publishing quarterly results, the company said its inability to maintain compliance with its credit agreement raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The stock value dropped more than 40%. In April 2023 the company warned that there is "substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern". The stock price dropped almost 50% on the same day.[26] On April 11, 2023, Tupperware's stock value plummeted to $1.30. Although there was a slight recovery the following day, its sliding sales and increasing debt prompt warnings of permanent company closure unless it receives substantial investment.[27]

As of April 2023 Tupperware has 82 countries listed as places they trade.[28] In May 2023, a financially-ailing Tupperware signed on Moelis & Co. to explore various available strategic options, as it also detected inconsistencies in its prior periods' financial reportings.[29]

On 1 June 2023, Tupperware stopped supplying an independent sales force in the UK and Ireland[30][31] and moved fully to selling online and via the shopping TV channel Ideal World, shortly before Ideal World itself went out of business in early July 2023.[32]