Brandwave

Bookstores:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, Barnes & Noble was the most searched among bookstores worldwide, with an estimated 7.5M branded searches and 94.1% estimated Share of Search within this set. 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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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the bookstores shoppers use. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among 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 202589.4%6.6%3.6%0.26%0.1%0.04%
Nov 202592%4.5%3%0.27%0.08%0.04%
Dec 202594.1%3.8%1.7%0.23%0.07%0.05%
Jan 202693.4%3.8%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 202694.6%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——————

This month’s ranking, August 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 +0.6 points.

  3. 3.Blackwell's

    2.5%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 201K estimated branded searches, 0% 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 leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among bookstores worldwide?

In August 2026, Barnes & Noble was the most searched among bookstores worldwide, with an estimated 7.5M branded searches and 94.1% estimated Share of Search within this set. WHSmith is in 2nd place, 91 percentage points behind at 3.1% Share of Search.

Global bookstores, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
Barnes & Noble89.4% → 94.1%94.6%Jul 202689.4%Oct 20251st
WHSmith6.6% → 3.1%6.6%Oct 20252.5%Jul 20262nd
Blackwell's3.6% → 2.5%3.6%Oct 20251.7%Dec 20253rd
Waterstones0.26% → 0.15%0.27%Nov 20250.12%Apr 20264th
Foyles0.1% → 0.08%0.1%Feb 20260.07%May 20265th
Dymocks0.04%0.05%Dec 20250.03%Jun 20266th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Barnes & Noble’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide increased from 89.4% to 94.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, WHSmith’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide decreased from 6.6% to 3.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Blackwell's’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide decreased from 3.6% to 2.5%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Barnes & Noble’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide peaked at 94.6% in July 2026 and was lowest at 89.4% in October 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, WHSmith’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide peaked at 6.6% in October 2025 and was lowest at 2.5% in July 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Blackwell's’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide peaked at 3.6% in October 2025 and was lowest at 1.7% in December 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Waterstones, Foyles and Dymocks held steady: their estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

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 94.6% 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.

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