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Many companies were rueing that the Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a big blow to their sales. But, for Tupperware, a household name in India, sales picked up as people stored a lot of daily needs and bought more of its products, especially from the second half of 2020.
“There was a rapid pick up in our dry storage during the pandemic. Also, more youngsters bought our products online,” Deepak Chhabra, Managing Director, Tupperware India, told BusinessLine.
Without giving specific numbers, Chhabra said that in 2020 sales grew by only 7 per cent over the previous year as sales were very poor during lockdown period and began to pickup from the second half of 2020. This year, growth will be around 24 per cent. Next year, assuming the pandemic does not have any further impact, the intent is to grow by 33 per cent, he said.
More retail stores
Tupperware has around 300 products in its portfolio. At present, 80 per cent of it are sold through direct selling, and the remaining 20 per cent through various other modes, including retail and online. This configuration will see a change in the next five years as the company is ramping up its retail stores, he said.
On Thursday, Tupperware opened its 100 store in India in Chennai. By 2021 end, it will increase to 130 stores, and double it by 2022 end — all of them individual franchisees owned by women entrepreneurs who are already associated with the brand.
“Our larger plan is to open a total of 1,000 stores in the next five years. That’s when retail will contribute to one third of our sales, direct selling around 50 per cent and the rest will be a combination of other models, including e-commerce and social selling,” he said.
When asked why the company selected Chennai for its 100 store, Chhabra said that Tamil Nadu is one of the biggest markets for Tupperware as people love the products and the brand loyalty is very high. In Chennai, the company has five retail stores, he said.
High production capacity
On production, Chaabra said 95 per cent of the products sold in the country are manufactured at its plant in Uttarakhand. The plant has a capacity of four times what it sells today. The company exports its products to around 35 countries. Production capability and capacity is not a constraint, he said.
“As we grow over the next two years, we will be cutting on export volume to ensure that we produce for the country first,” he said.
Tupperware plans to invest around ₹50 crore in the next 3-4 years on various initiatives, including digital tools, he said.