A French entrepreneur has bought Tupperware France and wants to relax the brand in various European countries, including Belgium. He announced that on Tuesday. It is unclear what the impact will be on employment and whether the Tupperware factory in Aalst is part of the transaction.
At the beginning of this month, the trustees at Tupperware had reported to no longer work on a takeover for the factory in Aalst. Three candidates – including the West -Flemish entrepreneur Guido Dumarey – had shown interest in continuing certain activities. 220 employees worked in the Tupperware factory in Aalst, often with years of service. At the end of last year, the licenses were withdrawn to make jars and other plastic items in Aalst. That meant that the factory could no longer carry out activities. The effective bankruptcy was only officially requested in mid -February.
The American Tupperware, manufacturer of the legendary plastic jars for storing food and known for door-to-door sales, asked for the bankruptcy in September after years of financial difficulties. The company was struggling with fierce competition, the rise of meal deliveries at home and the trend among consumers to reduce their plastic consumption.
A month later, Tupperware announced an agreement with its creditors, whereby they are sold the intellectual property that is “needed for the development and commercialization of the Tupperware brand” and where certain assets in the United States and other foreign branches are sold.
During a press conference in Paris, entrepreneur Cédric Meston, co -founder of the manufacturer of vegetable meat substitutes Happyvore, announced on Tuesday that he bought “100 percent of the Tupperware France company”, that “belonged to a Belgian company”. From April the brand will return to five important markets, says Meston. In addition to France, it is about Belgium, Germany, Italy and Poland.
The entrepreneur wants to get the company out of the protection procedure by June. By then, he will present a plan to the corporate court in Nanterre, France, for the continuation of the activities. Meston takes over the company together with the entrepreneurs Augustin Rudigoz and Aymeric Porte, in collaboration with current management.
The management team is aiming for a turnover figure of 100 million euros by the end of 2025 on the five markets mentioned and wants 20,000 independent sellers. Meston also reports that with the American parent group, he is rebuilding exploitation and distribution licenses for the products of the Tupperware brand in France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Poland, which were withdrawn in January by the difficulties of the group.
“It is a matter of hours, days to get the green light,” said the entrepreneur, without giving more details.