BabyUniverse Now The Parent Co.

A year after BabyUniverse, an online marketer of baby/maternity products, merged with toys merchant eToys Direct, the combined company has a new name: The Parent Co.

With the name change, which had been discussed ever since the two entities joined forces in spring 2007, “we want to communicate our focus on parents and children from pre-conception to teenage years,” says Sheliah Gilliland, spokesperson for the Denver-based Parent Co.

In addition to Baby Universe and eToys.com, the Parent Co.’s brands include MyTwinn.com, a maker/marketer of personalized dolls and accessories, luxury baby apparel and furnishings sites PoshTots.com and PoshLiving.com, and content sites BabyTV.com, PoshCravings.com, and ePregnancy.com, which provide resources for new and expectant parents. When the merger was announced, sales projections for the combined company hovered around $160 million.

Gilliland says everyone associated with the company is excited about the name change. “We feel we offer a comprehensive resources with our e-commerce sites and the new name is intended to communicate that focus,” she says.