Brandwave

How popular isWHSmith in search?

In August 2026, there were an estimated 246K branded searches for WHSmith worldwide which is down 45.3% over the last 11 months. WHSmith holds 3.1% estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide and is ranked 2nd of 6 competitors for search popularity. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Barnes & Noble94.1%
  2. WHSmith3.1%
  3. Blackwell's2.5%
  4. Waterstones0.15%
  5. Foyles0.08%
  6. Dymocks0.04%
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Which bookstores compete with WHSmith?

WHSmith against bookstores worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for Barnes & Noble, WHSmith, Blackwell's. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthBarnes & NobleWHSmithBlackwell'sWaterstonesFoylesDymocks
Oct 202589.5%6.5%3.6%0.26%0.1%0.04%
Nov 202592.1%4.5%3%0.27%0.08%0.04%
Dec 202594.2%3.8%1.7%0.23%0.07%0.05%
Jan 202693.5%3.7%2.5%0.18%0.08%0.04%
Feb 202694%3.1%2.5%0.23%0.1%0.04%
Mar 202694.5%3.1%2.1%0.19%0.08%0.04%
Apr 202694.2%3.1%2.5%0.12%0.07%0.03%
May 202694.1%3.1%2.5%0.15%0.07%0.04%
Jun 202694.1%3.1%2.5%0.15%0.08%0.03%
Jul 202694.7%2.5%2.5%0.15%0.08%0.04%
Aug 202694.1%3.1%2.5%0.15%0.08%0.04%
Sep 2026——————

  1. 1.Barnes & Noble

    94.1%

    Held 1st. 7.5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  2. 2.WHSmith

    3.1%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 246K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  3. 3.Blackwell's

    2.5%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 201K estimated branded searches, -<0.01% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  4. 4.Waterstones

    0.15%

    Held 4th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Foyles

    0.08%

    Held 5th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.Dymocks

    0.04%

    Held 6th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between WHSmith and its closest rivals

Every comparison with WHSmith

How has branded search demand for WHSmith changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for WHSmith worldwide fell from 450K to 246K.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, WHSmith’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide decreased from 6.5% to 3.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, WHSmith’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide peaked at 6.5% in October 2025 and was lowest at 2.5% in July 2026.

How did search popularity change for bookstores worldwide in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, WHSmith overtook Blackwell's to rank 2nd among bookstores worldwide, at 3.1%.

  2. In August 2026, Barnes & Noble lost estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide, from 94.7% to 94.1%.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Waterstones worldwide fell 33.1% over 11 measured months, from 18.1K to 12.1K in August 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Blackwell's worldwide fell 18.3% over 11 measured months, from 246K to 201K in August 2026.

How is WHSmith measured?

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using WHSmith’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

1 branded search term

  • wh smith

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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