Tupperware boxed in by stiff competition, changing preferences in India

The company, which started in the US in the early 1940s and later set foot in India almost 30 years ago, has seen its sales slowly dwindle, and in FY23, its bottom line was in the red

Tupperware, the iconic maker of colourful, stackable plastic containers, last week filed for bankruptcy in a US court – a move that lifted the lid on its financial problems. The company’s misfortunes, however, aren’t confined to its home market: In India, where it landed with much fanfare almost 30 years ago, the story looks equally grim.

Once a ubiquitous fixture in urban Indian kitchens, Tupperware containers — symbols of a pre-e-commerce era — now seem like relics from a different age. According to data from Capitaline, Tupperware posted a healthy Rs 475.8 crore in sales in FY15,