The founders of a baby gift business have been forced to rebrand after their original name was confused for dog food.

Friends Laura Marsh and Laura McBride changed the name of their online venture from BabyChum to Babbico after a supplier told them the original name sounded like tinned food for puppies.

After taking the tough decision to rebrand the women have moved into a new warehouse and agreeing deals with top retailers including Next, Asda and Debenhams.

The ambitious pair launched the business after identifying a gap in the market for affordable baby gifts and unisex clothing with a luxurious feel.

They have also launched a number of unique baby fashion collections in partnership with reality TV stars such as Ferne McCann.

The two friends, both from Essex, brainstormed new ideas for a unique brand name and came up with Babbico themselves by combining Baby and Incorporated.

Their partnerships with Next, Asda and Debenhams will allow customers on those sites to buy beautifully packaged and wrapped baby gifts through Babbico in addition to other items in their baskets. Other big name retailers are expected to follow.

Laura McBride, 31, was already a mum of two when she persuaded her friend Laura Marsh, 32, to join her in launching the business.

They pooled their savings to launch BabyChum but were left reeling when a supplier told them it sounded like dog food.

Laura Marsh said: “Having to rebrand was our most challenging moment. We couldn’t believe it when the supplier said BabyChum sounded like dog food but we asked around and realised it was a problem.

“We could’ve just carried on regardless but we felt it would’ve been harder to change it further down the road. So we took a deep breath and decided to do it sooner rather than later.

“We brainstormed it together looking for a unique name that we could own. In the end we came up with Babbico by combining the words Baby and Incorporated. We’re really happy with it as it just seems right for us.

“It says something about our ambitions for the business. We want it to grow to become an international business. We see no reasons why this can’t become a global brand one day.”

Now they have taken on a new 1,600 sq ft warehouse in Harlow to help them meet the increased demand Babbico is experiencing.

They have also launched their own podcast, entitled Winging It To The Top, where they discuss the ups and downs of their business journey so far.

Laura McBride said: “We are really proud of everything we’ve done so far. As mums ourselves we knew exactly what’s out there and what’s going on for mums and we knew there was a gap in the market for affordable baby gifts with a luxurious feel.

“Baby showers and gender reveals have become massive over the past few years and there’s more opportunities to gift now for babies than ever before.

“We are at an age now where there’s a baby shower amongst our friends almost every month so it can get very expensive.

“But we felt that what was available was either a lot of money or it felt cheap and tacky. We wanted to give people like us the chance to buy something high quality while at the same time not breaking the bank.

“We sell the kind of items we would want to buy ourselves and that’s really been the key to everything. A lot of baby brands are run by men and some of them aren’t even parents themselves.

“We are our own market so we get what mums with young children need and want to buy or be gifted.”

The recent move to a larger warehouse was a big step for the women but with more top tier retailers eager to partner with Babbico it seems they may be needing larger premises still very soon.

To find out more about Babbico and to view their most recent gift ideas and fashion collections please visit www.Babbico.co.uk