Forever faithful: An employee of Tupperware Brands Corp on the production line at the group’s plant in central France. Tupperware Inc has filed for bankruptcy in the United States but still has a loyal following in Singapore. — AFP
SINGAPORE: Despite filing for bankruptcy after racking up debt to the tune of S$1bil, Tupperware continues to find support from customers and fans in Singapore.
The colourful food containers of Tupperware have been a part of local housewife Zarina Mahadi’s life for over two decades – she has amassed more than 200 containers of different shapes and sizes since she started collecting them in 1996.
Zarina, 58, latched onto the plastic containers as her glass ones often broke during Hari Raya celebrations.
Her array of Tupperware containers is used to store items like sugar, coffee powder, ginger and chilli. She finds the freezer-safe ones especially useful.
“Tupperware airtight containers can keep my crackers fresh even past six months, and you can also exchange them for new ones as they have a lifetime warranty. Their containers are also durable; that’s why I love them,” said Zarina.
She is not the only Tupperware fan here.
An education professional, who wanted to be known only as Ong, said she rushed to buy Tupperware’s Hello Kitty limited edition bottle when she heard about the bankruptcy filing.
“I’ve been eyeing the bottle for some time. When I saw the news that Tupperware was going bankrupt, I immediately went onto Shopee to purchase it.
“I was afraid it would become difficult or too expensive to buy from resellers soon,” said Ong, 28.
Thanks to loyal consumers like Zarina and Ong, some vendors of the American plastic container brand here told The Straits Times that they do not expect a big impact on business after Tupperware’s bankruptcy filing in the United States on Sept 17.
Tupperware distributor Lili Tan, who has run her TuppHub store in Yishun Avenue 3 since around 2009, said turnover will not be affected.
“In fact, business has gone up by more than 30% since the news,” she said.
“I think people are afraid that they won’t be able to buy Tupperware containers anymore. Actually, every time Tupperware is in the news, my business is noticeably better.”
In its Sept 17 statement, Tupperware said it will seek court approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and providing customers with its products through its sales consultants and retail partners.
The company will also seek approval to sell the business to protect the Tupperware brand, and in 2023 implemented plans to modernise its operations and optimise efficiencies for better growth.
Still, with competition intensifying and consumer preferences having evolved, some sellers have seen sales decline over the years, and this has had an impact on Tupperware’s financial performance.
A Tupperware distributor who has been in the industry for 15 years, and who declined to give her name, said business had been bad for the past few years, even before the pandemic.
“There’s a lot more competition now in the market, so consumers have a lot more choices,” she added.
“People nowadays think that plastic is not good for health, so they look for alternatives like glass containers.”
Media planner Linda Yeo, 27, is among those who have been looking at other container brands. “There are better brands that have emerged in recent years and are more favourable compared with Tupperware.
“An example is LocknLock that has kept up with the times and been more innovative to create pieces that serve a specific purpose or use.”
Tupperware president and chief executive Laurie Ann Goldman said that Tupperware’s weakening financial position was further impacted by “the challenging macroeconomic environment” in the last few years, leading to the bankruptcy.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
“This process is meant to provide us with essential flexibility as we pursue strategic alternatives to support our transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company better positioned to serve our stakeholders.”
In the meantime, Tupperware has said it will seek court approval to keep operating during the bankruptcy process, including compensating vendors and suppliers under normal terms for goods and services provided.
This will help local distributors like Toh, who prefers to be known by her surname, and her mother, who have run a home-based Tupperware online store here for about two decades. “We are very fortunate to have regulars that support us,” said Toh, 30.
These include office workers, who look for microwaveable lunch boxes, and parents who usually get bottles, lunch boxes and small containers for their children. — The Straits Times/ANN
