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Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services announced that they have raised its rating on Tupperware Brands(NYSE: TUP).

The rating, including its corporate credit rating went from BB to BB+ which basically means that financial security is adequate, but capacity to meet long-term policies might still be vulnerable. vulnerable. The added plus means that Tupperware is on the upside of the rating and that the outlook for the future performance of the company is good.

Tupperware has continued to improve its operating performance over the last two quarters and the company has continued to make an effort to reduce their debt, this led S&P to remove the issue level rating from Credit watch as it expects the company will continue on an upward path.

While S&P feels that Tupperware has made significant improvement, they still feel that it will be necessary to keep a close eye on the company. Tupperware has continued to steadily improve, however the direct sales industry continues to be highly competitive and at times volatile. The outlook for the company is good and will remain stable for the foreseeable future.

‘The ratings on Tupperware continue to reflect the risks of direct-sales distribution and the company’s participation in the highly competitive cosmetics industry,’ said Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Christopher Johnson. But, he said, ‘the company’s moderate financial policies, improving credit protection measures, its product and geographic diversity, along with its well-known brand name and premium product position in the mature molded-plastic storage category, offset these factors.’

Tupperware’s stock has actually had a pretty good run giving the economy and the performance isnt too bad. The stock is up about 20% over the past 52 weeks and continues to have some decent support as well.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Michael Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of global Nutritional Supplement Company, Herbalife , has just been announced as a presenter at the 15th Annual Goldman Sachs Global Retailing Conference.

The annual conference will be held in New York City on September 3rd and 4th, 2008 at the Marriot Marquis.

Other participants include, Walmart, BJ’s Wholesale, CVS, and Lumber Liquidators, just to name a few. The two day conference will feature top executives from some of the largest retailers across the world assembling to discuss the state of the retail market. Among topics that they will cover will be the economy, a possible recession and trends in consumer spending.

Johnson is scheduled to speak on September 3rd at 9:30 am Eastern Time. Goldman Sachs will present a live webcast of the presentation on the Herbalife website.

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USANA has yet another athlete to congratulate on his performance in the Beijing Olympics. As the Olympics have come to an end, Hooker is the last in a distinguished line of USANA sponsored athletes who have done an amazing job in the 2008 Olympics.

The most recent USANA athlete to medal, Steve Hooker of Australia, took home gold in track and field. Hooker, a USANA sponsored Olympian won the gold in the mens pole vault competition. Hooker is just one of many athletes who have openly endorsed USANA’s products as effective tools in their training regime. USANA supplements and vitamins are all natural and approved by the Olympic governing body as containing no banned substances.

Hooker wowed the crowd with an impressive 19 feet, 4 and ¼ inch jump. He became the first Australian man to win a gold medal in any track and field event since 1968. Not only did he earn the gold medal, he also set a new Olympic record.

USANA sponsored athletes made an impressive showing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, bringing home several medals in track and field, cycling, swimming and fencing.

Usana released a statement saying, “USANA applauds Hooker and all of the athletes at the 2008 Summer Games for their hard work and dedication to sport.”

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Ambit Energy (OpTree Profile) a provider of de-regulated energy and electricity has announced that David Biegler, a former Vice Chairman, President and COO of TXU has just joined Ambit as an advisor to the executive management team.

In addition to coming on as an advisor, Biegler has also invested in the company. Biegler’s former company, TXU is also a supplier of energy and electricity and a competitor of Ambit. Biegler retired from TXU in 2001.

Biegler brings with him over 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Currently, he serves as Chairman of natural gas transportation and processing firm, Estrella Energy-www.estrellaenergy.com- Along with his experience in the industry, Biegler also brings a great deal of credibility as well as an impressive resume. He has served as President, Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts, and he has chaired the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and the United Way of Dallas. Currently he sits on the board of Southwest Airlines.

“This is the first time I have invested in a Texas-based electric retail provider. I like Ambit’s experienced management team, its home-grown systems, its expansion into New York and Illinois, and its remarkable business model. The company has had phenomenal growth and has demonstrated its ability to manage that growth very well. Ambit’s strategic partnership with Shell Energy Trading speaks a lot about the respect Ambit has earned from the giants in the industry in such a short amount of time. I am excited about the opportunity to play a role in helping Ambit reach its potential and about joining this group of investors,” said Mr. Biegler.

“David Biegler’s experience in the energy industry is invaluable. He is a perfect addition to our investor group,” stated Ambit Energy Co-founder and CEO, Jere Thompson, Jr. “His standing and respect in our industry and our local community is enormous. We look forward to tapping into his expertise and wisdom.”

Popularity: 2% [?]