Declining sales and failure to evolve: How Tupperware found itself in crisis

Tupperware Brands , the company known for its iconic colourful food storage containers , filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware on Tuesday. The company has been reportedly struggling with mounting losses due to declining demand for its products in recent years.

In the 1950s, Tupperware experienced a surge in popularity as women of the post-war generation held "Tupperware parties" at their homes to sell the containers, seeking empowerment and independence.

However, the company has faced challenges in recent years as it struggled to place its products in retail stores and online sales platforms. Tupperware has traditionally relied on independent sales representatives to sell its products, but this strategy has failed to reach modern consumers, according to Brian Fox, Tupperware's chief restructuring officer, who said in a court filing, "Nearly everyone now knows what Tupperware is, but fewer people know where to find it."

Financial analysts also criticized Tupperware in recent years for sticking with the direct sales model and failing to evolve with the times.

Despite efforts to turn its business around, Tupperware has been facing challenges for years, reporting several quarters of falling sales. The post-Covid circumstances intensified these challenges. Initially, Tupperware saw a boost in sales as Americans turned to home cooking during the pandemic. Yet, as the world reopened, the company faced a sharp rise in labour, freight, and raw material costs—particularly for plastic resin. These increasing expenses, coupled with a failure to adapt its sales strategy, have resulted in several quarters of falling sales.

Tupperware has been grappling with liquidity constraints and has raised doubts about its ability to remain in business. News agency Reuters reported that the company has $812 million in debt , much of which was purchased by distressed debt investors at a deep discount in July. These new lenders sought to use their debt position to seize Tupperware assets, including its intellectual property such as its brand, pushing the company to seek bankruptcy protection.

Tupperware intends to continue operations and conduct a 30-day bidding process to find a buyer for the entire company.

According to bankruptcy filings, Tupperware has estimated assets of $500 million to $1 billion and estimated liabilities of $1 billion to $10 billion. The company has listed the number of creditors to be between 50,001 and 100,000. In 2023, Tupperware finalized an agreement with its lenders to restructure its debt obligations and engaged investment bank Moelis & Co to help explore strategic options.