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Tupperware (TUP) really benefits from home cooking

Continuing with our defensive stock series: given the current choppy / consolidating markets (or perhaps worse), Tupperware (NYSE: TUP) doesn't strictly-fit the defensive stock definition, as it's in the consumer / discretionary segment. Still, given TUP's potential, it warrants a review by investors.

Tupperware's signature product is the food storage container that carries the company's patented seal. One could make the case that U.S. shoppers will buy fewer of these containers as the U.S. economy slows, as they are, strictly speaking, a discretionary purchase. Still, we know from previous belt-tightening periods Americans tend to cut back on dining out. Undoubtedly that means more home prepared meals, and leftovers, which need containers -- a positive trend for Tupperware.

Further, with sales in more than 100 countries, Tupperware is adequately-positioned to benefit from continued good-to-excellent GDP growth in emerging markets. The Reuters F2007/2008 revenue consensus estimates for TUP are $1.91 billion / $1.99 billion. Tupperware's shares fell $1.83 to $33.63 in Wednesday afternoon trading.

Continue reading Tupperware (TUP) really benefits from home cooking

The best part of waking up is Folgers in your Wendy's coffee cup

In addition to Wendy's (NYSE: WEN) management's recent hiring of JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM) and Lehman Brothers (NYSE: LEH) to help review strategic options for the company, the fast-food restaurant has decided to throw its hat into the breakfast ring by signing an exclusive deal with Proctor & Gamble (NYSE: PG). The deal allows Wendy's to be the only major fast-food restaurant chain to offer a proprietary blend of Folgers Gourmet Selections coffee and will become part of Wendy's new breakfast menu.

What's that you say, "Breakfast menu?"

Yes folks, Wendy's just isn't for lunch or dinner anymore (or dessert – mmmm Frosty's). You can now eat Wendy's for every meal of the day. By the end 2007, Wendy's expects to have 20-30% of its North American restaurants serve breakfast along with premium Folgers coffee.

Wendy's is definitely throwing its hat into a very crowded ring. The fast-food breakfast market is growing at almost three times the rate of the overall market, with Burger King (NYSE: BKC), McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Arby's, a unit of Triarc Co. (NYSE: TRY), Carl's Jr and Hardee's, both owned by CKE Restaurants (NYSE: CKR) and even Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) offering similar on-the-go breakfasts to consumers. Papa John's (NASDAQ: PZZA), Dunkin Donuts and Chick-fil-A are planning new breakfast products as well. What's going to be so different to make me go to Wendy's?

When looking at the coffee aspect, one has to recall last year's Canadian Business magazine taste test between McDonald's "Café Roast" and Starbucks coffees. I'm sure all the companies I mentioned above serve some brand of coffee. Wendy's is really walking into a competitively caffeinated situation. We also can't forget about Seattle 's "Sexpresso" baristas, but that's competition on a different level.

Where do you go to get your morning cup o' joe? And would the chance to have Folgers Gourmet change your mind?

Eating lunch at your desk: sign of the hard worker, or 'too familiar'?

Even though I work from home, I often eat at my desk; and I'd say I gobbled down breakfast, lunch and dinner at my desk many a day while working in previous jobs as an investment banker and a dotcom wonk. And while I've heard many critics of long lunches I've never, not once, heard a criticism of the keyboard-accessorized lunchtime.

Until this weekend, when the Sunday New York Times took up the subject. Stephen Viscusi (owner of a Manhattan headhunting firm) finds it not just annoying and occasionally smelly but "too familiar." Next thing you know, Stephen, your employees will be putting pictures of their spouses on their desks and talking about how cute their new babies are. Or, YIKES, seeing one another outside the workplace. I mean, really. You'd hate to have familiarity at the office!

Putting aside the germiness of the average desk, really, how does it affect a person's economic output? Assuming you're not able to bill hours for lunches and you're not chatting up clients, which is more effective: eating out or dining al desko?

Continue reading Eating lunch at your desk: sign of the hard worker, or 'too familiar'?

Buffett lunch auction broke the half million mark

buffett lunch bid
Four bidders, placing 9 bids pushed the price of the
Warren Buffett Lunch up to above half million dollars.  The latest bid is $500,100.00 with over three days yet to go in the auction.

Mohnish Pabrai, an Irvine, California investor put the last bid for $500,100.00 and he sincerely hopes to "prevail" in what he now sees as becoming a bidding war between him and the two other bidders he topped.  Pabrai was unsuccessful in previous years.

The Warren Buffett Power Lunch to Benefit Glide Foundation stood at $455,100.00 since Thursday night but it seems that Warren Buffett's announcement to donate $37.1 billion, the bulk of his $44 billion estimated wealth, has increased the stakes on the lunch auction and the bidding war resumed.

Going over the half million mark has just won me a bet too. My friend will now have to (and gladly) double his donation to a charity of his choice.  I will double mine too.

Lunch with Buffett: Current bid is $455,100

Not even 12 hours into the charity auction for lunch with Warren Buffett and bidding has already reached almost half a million dollars, beating last year's winning bid of $351,100.

And we still have six and half days left in the auction!

I don't know if I can take the excitement.  I wish they had just put a Buy it Now option for, oh, say, $1,000,000 and we would have been done with it.

Follow the auction:
Pre-bid show
Opening bid

Let the bids begin: Warren Buffett lunch eBay auction started

lunch with warren buffetToday, June 22, at 10:00 p.m. Eastern the eBay auction for a Warren Buffett Power Lunch to Benefit Glide Foundation started (I wrote about it here). The lunch auction is listed under tickets->experiences and when I checked at 10:10 there was already one bid from pacific_vista_capital for $25,000.

According to the FAQ only pre-approved bidders can place a bid.

The auction is open to international bidders, although there's no specified shipping to my Canadian address.
Having said that, the FAQ does mention that "the expected delivery time is 7-10 business days after final payment is received and acknowledged."

Oh, and they accept cashier's checks and wire transfers, in case you were wondering how you might pay for this, and of course, the bidder is responsible for transportation.

Symbol Lookup
IndexesChangePrice
DJIA+73.0010,270.47
NASDAQ+18.862,167.88
S&P 500+6.241,093.48

Last updated: November 14, 2009: 07:49 PM

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