Tupperware expands to include popular brands

MANILA, Philippines - You’d be hard-pressed to find a home without it. Tupperware has been around for so long — 46 years in the Philippines, actually — that the product has found its way into most homes at one time or another.

Who has not used or at least seen those practical Tupperware storage containers and space savers nicely stacked in tidy kitchen shelves? Or those attractive serving dishes, colorful tumblers, snack keepers and goody boxes? You might have been to a Tupperware party or even hosted one.  Tupperware has long been a familiar name in the local market.

What not everyone may know, however, is that the trusted brand has expanded and is now known as Tupperware Brands.

“In early 2000, Tupperware expanded to other business segments beyond food storage,” says Charmane Abad, marketing director for Tupperware Brands. It is now a multi-category business, which includes fashion and intimate apparel, beauty products and fragrances, as well as kids’ and baby care products, where it is number one in the direct-selling segment.

Hanes, Playtex and Wonderbra are some of the popular brands that they carry, as well as BB cream, lipstick, whitening pressed powder, Baby Care Plus, Kids Plus and Tickles, among others.

In September 2012, they launched a new cookware line. “We sold five times more than the initial estimate,” Abad reports.

Tupperware continues to be their flagship brand, with products for use in the kitchen comprising the portfolio — for food preparation, cooking and storage, which includes dry storage for the pantry as well as a fridge and freezer line.

The objective is to continue to drive innovative and new product lines. Still, the core business, as it has been from the start, is direct selling. “It is our DNA,” Abad says. “Direct selling is the backbone of our business. We believe in the power of the selling system and the earning opportunity that it provides.”

They may be housewives or even students who, through their earnings, can change their lives and that of their families for the better. “We would like to empower them to make a difference,” Abad says. “Their earnings will enable them to achieve their dreams.”

The direct-selling business has experienced some difficulties in the past couple of years due to some unsavory practices by a few unscrupulous individuals. This was what the Direct Selling Association of the Philippines addressed squarely at the DSAP Conference and Exhibit, which was held recently at the SM Mega Trade Hall at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City, just in time for Consumer Welfare Month in October.

An eight-point test was presented to determine whether you are dealing with a legitimate multi-level company or merely a pyramid scam. The important question to answer would be: “Does it involve a real product to sell, and not just recruitment?”

“We would like to see more events like this,” Tupperware Brands chief finance officer Cel Torres remarked. As industry leader, they would like to expand their reach in order to provide more earning opportunities for their participants.

All recruits go through training. “We teach them selling techniques as well as how to handle rejection, for example,” Abad shares. “We show them the power of the brand and we help build their confidence.”

Tupperware launched a “Confidence Campaign” through its recruiting caravan called the “chain of confidence caravan.”  A search for 10 women of confidence was conducted through social media.

Another activity is titled “Embrace Philippines,” where all branch personnel in 90 locations nationwide would “walk in the streets” and talk about the opportunities available to everyone, Abad explains. Their aim is to enlighten, to educate, and to empower. They talk to the direct sellers about their dreams and aspirations. They are able “to increase their influence with their first sale,” Abad shares. “With their product knowledge and understanding of how they will earn, they realize that Tupperware Brands is the best business partner for them.”