Tupperware, Avon experiencing strong growth 

Source: ONE NewsSamples from the Tupperware range of products

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Companies such as Tupperware and Avon who sell straight to consumers are experiencing strong growth as more salespeople keep signing up.

Tupperware parties are today seen as a relic of the past but are now enjoying a massive resurgence as the recession hits more people than ever before, with 100,000 parties pushing the plastic this year.

Sonia McIndoe from Tupperware says sales in New Zealand at the moment are booming.

"We've seen an increase of over 27% already this year," she says.

But Tupperware isn't the only company booming while others go bust.

Avon has watched its sales soar and in just three weeks the company has had 1,500 people signing up to sell their lipsticks.

Debbie Billington, an Avon recruit, says she went for the job so that she could earn some extra money as things were getting really hard for her financially.

Garth Wyllie from the Direct Sales Association says companies dealing in direct sales always boom during periods of recession.

"When you have a recessionary period, direct sales tend to go against the trend and grow rather than the opposite as in traditional retail".

And in these uncertain times, he says people are lining up for direct sale jobs like Tupperware and Avon.

And new recruits are up with people trying to make ends meet, like Kelly Leevey, who became a Tupperware saleswoman after she was made redundant.

"I got that dreaded phone call that you never want to get as an employee&that there were redundancies on the table," says Leevey.

She says she turned to Tupperware to bridge the financial gap, saying if she hadn't she would have lost her house.