MapMuse - Locate Tupperware Consultants and Tupperware Home Partie Near You

...1.9 million consultants. Tupperware is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tupperware Brands Corporation.

Company history

Tupperware was developed in 1945 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.

Tupperware spread to Europe in 1960 when Mila Pond hosted a Tupperware party in Weybridge, England, and subsequently round the world. In 2003, Tupperware closed down operations in the UK, but relaunched in 2005.

Tupperware Parties

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 and sometimes in other settings.

In most countries, Tupperware's sales force is organized in a multi-level marketing structure with salespeople at the bottom, managers over them, and distributors at the top level. However, Tupperware differs significantly from most multi-level marketing companies in that high-level managers must be invited by the company before becoming a distributor, as distributorship opportunities are limited and controlled by the company. Most distributorships originally were run by married couples.

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. Although this marketing channel was discontinued in 2003, it had a significant negative affect on the core sales channel's ability to recruit and host parties.

In many countries, Tupperware products come with a lifetime guarantee. 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 South East Asia and recently in the US as well, there are Tupperware kiosks in shopping malls.