DISCUSSION
Can a Soho pop-up relaunch Tupperware’s party?
Written by RetailWire Staff
Photo: Tupperware
For decades, Tupperware was the hottest multi-level marketed line of products around. How many younger generation Americans, however, are as familiar with the brand today? Tupperware is trying to get the party started once again, with a holiday pop-up in New York City’s Soho neighborhood.
The pop-up — TuppSoho — will run until December 22nd and features hands-on product demonstrations and Instagrammable installations customers can experience while shopping the Tupperware line, according to a press release. The pop-up comes in conjunction with the launch of a redesigned tupperware.com website.
[caption id="attachment_104523" align="aligncenter" width="666"]
Photo: Tupperware[/caption]
Tupperware was a booming brand in the 1950s and 1960s in the U.S., with Tupperware parties — where women met to demonstrate and sell product lines of the reusable plasticware — becoming an iconic fixture of the post-war middle-class suburbs. Tupperware’s popularity began to diminish in the mid-’90s, however, with a stigma developing around the multi-level direct selling model that made brands like Tupperware and Avon household names.
The 2010s have been rough for the brand, although the publicly-traded company’s stock did experience a spike in 2013. This may have been driven by an initiative to drastically expand the company’s international presence, especially in Asia and Latin America, begun by CEO Rick Goings (who took on the role in 1997). Mr. Goings retired in 2018 and was replaced by Patricia A. Stitzel.
Last week it was announced that Ms. Stitzel had stepped down in the wake of the company’s most recent earnings miss and was replaced by interim CEO Chris O’Leary, according to Marketwatch.
Despite the C-suite shakeups and sinking stock performance, there is a possibility that it could be the right time for Tupperware to bounce back. Given a consumer shift away from single-use plastics, Tupperware’s reusability could offer a classic take on a new trend.
[caption id="attachment_104521" align="aligncenter" width="666"]
Photo: Tupperware[/caption]
Reduction of single-use plastics is mentioned as a selling point that visitors to the TuppSoho pop-up will encounter, according to the event’s press release.
Tupperware will, however, have some stiff competition. While once a leader in reusable containers, there are now countless brands offering similar products, available through direct sale, e-commerce marketplaces and retailers.
While Tupperware products are available for purchase on its website, company sales are still geared towards setting up representatives to host parties.
Photo: Tupperware[/caption]
Tupperware was a booming brand in the 1950s and 1960s in the U.S., with Tupperware parties — where women met to demonstrate and sell product lines of the reusable plasticware — becoming an iconic fixture of the post-war middle-class suburbs. Tupperware’s popularity began to diminish in the mid-’90s, however, with a stigma developing around the multi-level direct selling model that made brands like Tupperware and Avon household names.
The 2010s have been rough for the brand, although the publicly-traded company’s stock did experience a spike in 2013. This may have been driven by an initiative to drastically expand the company’s international presence, especially in Asia and Latin America, begun by CEO Rick Goings (who took on the role in 1997). Mr. Goings retired in 2018 and was replaced by Patricia A. Stitzel.
Last week it was announced that Ms. Stitzel had stepped down in the wake of the company’s most recent earnings miss and was replaced by interim CEO Chris O’Leary, according to Marketwatch.
Despite the C-suite shakeups and sinking stock performance, there is a possibility that it could be the right time for Tupperware to bounce back. Given a consumer shift away from single-use plastics, Tupperware’s reusability could offer a classic take on a new trend.
[caption id="attachment_104521" align="aligncenter" width="666"] Photo: Tupperware[/caption]
Reduction of single-use plastics is mentioned as a selling point that visitors to the TuppSoho pop-up will encounter, according to the event’s press release.
Tupperware will, however, have some stiff competition. While once a leader in reusable containers, there are now countless brands offering similar products, available through direct sale, e-commerce marketplaces and retailers.
While Tupperware products are available for purchase on its website, company sales are still geared towards setting up representatives to host parties.
- Opening the Doors to TuppSoho: Tupperware's First Ever Brand Store – PR Newswire
- Tupperware Parties: Suburban Women's Plastic Path to Empowerment – History.com
- Tupperware: How the 1950s party model conquered the world – BBC
- Tupperware names Chris O'Leary as interim CEO, replacing Tricia Stitzel who is stepping down – Marketwatch
- Host a Party – Tupperware.com