Irish Examiner view: The party could be over for Tupperware

The iconic food container firm had received a boost at the height of the pandemic but has slumped again

The innovative snap-lock lidded food container also introduced a sales technique that was just as novel — 'parties' where agents sold Tupperware to their peers. 

It might be difficult to envisage now, but there was a time in Ireland when Tupperware was cutting-edge technology, a product so new-fangled there were ‘Tupperware parties’ hosted in people’s homes, at which the product was demonstrated and sold.

Sad to report, then, that Tupperware is now pursuing investors to keep it afloat and is in danger of being delisted by the New York Stock Exchange.

The company got a boost in sales during the covid pandemic, as more people stayed at home and prepared their own food — and needed more Tupperware to store that food at home.

A vintage American advertisement seeking to recruit women to host Tupperware parties.

That bounce now seems to have worn off, and the firm is in such peril that it is contemplating staff lay-offs and sales of its real estate holdings to try to stay afloat.

One analyst said that a key issue for Tupperware is that it’s a brand that does not fully connect with younger consumers, a poignant aside for those who can recall the time when a Tupperware party was a social highlight.