Free Republic

Iconic 78-year-old food container pioneer Tupperware filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, Sept. 17 amid a years-long slump in sales. The company known worldwide for its "Tupperware Parties" is now seeking court approval to continue operating during the proceedings as it pursues a sale. "Whether you are a dedicated member of our Tupperware team, sell, cook with, or simply love our Tupperware products, you are a part of our Tupperware family," said President and Chief Executive Officer Laurie Ann Goldman. "We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this...

Tupperware, a household brand once so popular it became the name of an entire product category, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Tuesday as consumers’ evolving shopping behaviors and increased competition led to slumping sales.

Tupperware Brands announced it will be closing its South Carolina factory — the company’s last remaining plant in the US — and laying off more than 100 workers. The iconic plastic food container company will shift all of its manufacturing operations to Mexico, where many of its products sold in the US and Canada are already made. The shuttering of the facility in the small town of Hemingway will result in the layoffs of 148 employees, according to the company, which is headquartered in Orlando. Layoffs are set to begin in September with a closure date scheduled for January 14,...

New York CNN — Tupperware shares fell nearly 40% in early trading Monday following a bleak warning that its future is looking murky. In a regulatory filing late Friday, the container maker said there’s “substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern,” and that it’s working with financial advisers to find financing to stay afloat. Tupperware said it won’t have enough cash to fund its operations if it doesn’t secure additional money. The company said it is exploring potential layoffs, and it’s reviewing its real estate portfolio for potential money-saving efforts. The New York Stock Exchange...

Many retailers and schools are advocating waste-free options for back-to-school shoppers this year, especially when it comes to lunch. School lists call for Tupperware instead of Ziplocs, neoprene lunch bags instead of brown paper ones, and aluminum water bottles, not the throwaway plastic versions. Sales of environmentally friendly back-to-school products are up just about everywhere. At the Container Store, the increase is 30 percent over last year for some items, said Mona Williams, the company’s vice president of buying. “We have seen a huge resurgence,” she said. The trend makes the schools happy (much less garbage). It makes the stores...

People were storing grain long before they learned to domesticate crops, a new study indicates. > The ability to store food is essential for the development of farming, the researchers said. >

IT may be the least likely movie title of the year but Tupperware! is set to win the seal of approval from film-goers everywhere. The big budget drama, which is about to start filming, tells the story of the nifty airtight plastic containers - found in just about every home in the UK. Even the Queen uses Tupperware, as the Daily Mirror's Ryan Parry discovered when he famously infiltrated Buckingham Palace in 2003. A Broadway musical about the brand, Sealed For Freshness, is also due to open next month - with both show and film timed to coincide with the...

Tupperware Corp., maker of namesake plastic food-storage containers, Thursday said its 2004 profit will be $1.40 to $1.45 a share, higher than the company forecast in October, because of improved foreign-exchange rates. The Orlando-based retailer said profit improved in Europe as demand for products in Germany grew. Tupperware also boosted its earnings forecast for next year. "As 75 percent of our sales are outside of the U.S., the exchange rate impacts our sales numbers a lot," company spokeswoman Jane Garrard said. "Germany represents a very large part of our market in Europe, at about 40 percent of sales," she said....

Big companies are hoping to marry their brands to gays and lesbians this weekend — about 20,000 of them. In the first days after the presidential election — in which gay marriage proved to be a pivotal issue — the nation's biggest exposition on homosexual life is setting attendance records. Booths for exhibitors are also sold out for the first time at the Javits Center, which since 1999 has hosted Gay Life Expo, one of the center's liveliest trade shows. Companies ranging from Citigroup and American Express to Jet Blue and J.P. Morgan Chase are hawking their offerings to the...