---
title: "Bookstores: Which brands are most popular in search?"
description: "Compare the bookstores shoppers use. Share of Search among Barnes & Noble, WHSmith, Blackwell's, Waterstones, Foyles and Dymocks, the bookstores Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/bookstores"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Bookstores: Which brands are most popular in search?

Compare the bookstores shoppers use. Share of Search among Barnes & Noble, WHSmith, Blackwell's, Waterstones, Foyles and Dymocks, the bookstores Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Bookstores
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 6
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Barnes & Noble, 94.1%

## 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.
- 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.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Barnes & Noble vs WHSmith: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/barnes-noble-vs-whsmith): 94.1% against 3.1% Share of Search.
- [Barnes & Noble vs Blackwell's: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/barnes-noble-vs-blackwell-s): 94.1% against 2.5% Share of Search.
- [WHSmith vs Blackwell's: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/blackwell-s-vs-whsmith): 3.1% against 2.5% Share of Search.

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

- In August 2026, WHSmith overtook Blackwell's to rank 2nd among bookstores worldwide, at 3.1%.
- In August 2026, Barnes & Noble lost estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide, from 94.6% to 94.1%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Waterstones worldwide fell 33.1% over 11 measured months, from 18.1K to 12.1K in August 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Blackwell's worldwide fell 18.3% over 11 measured months, from 246K to 201K in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Barnes & Noble | 94.1% | 7.5M | 0.0% | Barnes & Noble |
| 2 | WHSmith | 3.1% | 246K | +22.4% | WHSmith |
| 3 | Blackwell's | 2.5% | 201K | 0.0% | Blackwell's |
| 4 | Waterstones | 0.15% | 12.1K | 0.0% | Waterstones |
| 5 | Foyles | 0.08% | 6.6K | 0.0% | Foyles |
| 6 | Dymocks | 0.04% | 2.9K | 0.0% | Dymocks |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Barnes & Noble | 6.1M | 89.4% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | WHSmith | 450K | 6.6% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Blackwell's | 246K | 3.6% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Waterstones | 18.1K | 0.26% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Foyles | 6.6K | 0.1% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Dymocks | 2.9K | 0.04% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 92% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | WHSmith | 368K | 4.5% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Blackwell's | 246K | 3% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Waterstones | 22.2K | 0.27% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Foyles | 6.6K | 0.08% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Dymocks | 3.6K | 0.04% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Barnes & Noble | 11.1M | 94.1% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | WHSmith | 450K | 3.8% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Blackwell's | 201K | 1.7% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Waterstones | 27.1K | 0.23% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Foyles | 8.1K | 0.07% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Dymocks | 5.4K | 0.05% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 93.4% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | WHSmith | 301K | 3.8% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Blackwell's | 201K | 2.5% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Waterstones | 14.8K | 0.18% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Foyles | 6.6K | 0.08% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Dymocks | 3.6K | 0.04% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 6.1M | 94% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | WHSmith | 201K | 3.1% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Blackwell's | 165K | 2.5% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Waterstones | 14.8K | 0.23% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Foyles | 6.6K | 0.1% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Dymocks | 2.4K | 0.04% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 94.5% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | WHSmith | 246K | 3.1% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Blackwell's | 165K | 2.1% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Waterstones | 14.8K | 0.19% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Foyles | 6.6K | 0.08% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Dymocks | 2.9K | 0.04% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 94.2% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | WHSmith | 246K | 3.1% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Blackwell's | 201K | 2.5% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Waterstones | 9.9K | 0.12% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Foyles | 5.4K | 0.07% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Dymocks | 2.4K | 0.03% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 94.1% | 1 |
| May 2026 | WHSmith | 246K | 3.1% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Blackwell's | 201K | 2.5% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Waterstones | 12.1K | 0.15% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Foyles | 5.4K | 0.07% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Dymocks | 2.9K | 0.04% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 94.1% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | WHSmith | 246K | 3.1% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Blackwell's | 201K | 2.5% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Waterstones | 12.1K | 0.15% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Foyles | 6.6K | 0.08% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Dymocks | 2.4K | 0.03% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 94.6% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Blackwell's | 201K | 2.5% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | WHSmith | 201K | 2.5% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Waterstones | 12.1K | 0.15% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Foyles | 6.6K | 0.08% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Dymocks | 2.9K | 0.04% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | Barnes & Noble | 7.5M | 94.1% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | WHSmith | 246K | 3.1% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Blackwell's | 201K | 2.5% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Waterstones | 12.1K | 0.15% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Foyles | 6.6K | 0.08% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Dymocks | 2.9K | 0.04% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | Barnes & Noble | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Blackwell's | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Dymocks | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Foyles | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Waterstones | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | WHSmith | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Barnes & Noble**: Measured on the search term “barnes and noble”.
- **Blackwell's**: Measured on the search term “blackwells”.
- **Dymocks**: Measured on the search term “dymocks books”.
- **Foyles**: Measured on the search term “foyles bookshop”.
- **Waterstones**: Measured on the search term “waterstones books”.
- **WHSmith**: Measured on the search term “wh smith”.

- [Barnes & Noble](/demand/global-en/brands/barnes-noble)
- [Blackwell's](/demand/global-en/brands/blackwell-s)
- [Dymocks](/demand/global-en/brands/dymocks)
- [Foyles](/demand/global-en/brands/foyles)
- [Waterstones](/demand/global-en/brands/waterstones)
- [WHSmith](/demand/global-en/brands/whsmith)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### 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. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Bookstores: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/bookstores

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/bookstores. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.