---
title: "Barnes & Noble vs WHSmith: Which is more popular by branded search?"
description: "Which is more popular in search, Barnes & Noble or WHSmith? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Bookstores set worldwide. 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/compare/barnes-noble-vs-whsmith"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Barnes & Noble vs WHSmith: Which is more popular by branded search?

Which is more popular in search, Barnes & Noble or WHSmith? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Bookstores set worldwide. 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

- **Compared**: Barnes & Noble and WHSmith
- **Competitive set**: Bookstores
- **Market**: Global
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Barnes & Noble Share of Search**: 94.1%
- **WHSmith Share of Search**: 3.1%

## Which is more popular in search, Barnes & Noble or WHSmith?

- In August 2026, Barnes & Noble had more branded searches than WHSmith among bookstores worldwide. Barnes & Noble was estimated to have 7.5M branded searches compared to WHSmith’s 246K, and held a 94.1% Share of Search versus WHSmith’s 3.1%.
- Barnes & Noble was ahead of WHSmith in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Barnes & Noble’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide moved from 89.4% to 94.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.1M to 7.5M.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, WHSmith’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide moved from 6.6% to 3.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 450K to 246K.

## 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%.

## Month by month

| Month | Barnes & Noble estimated searches | Barnes & Noble Share of Search | Barnes & Noble rank | WHSmith estimated searches | WHSmith Share of Search | WHSmith rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 6.1M | 89.4% | 1 | 450K | 6.6% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | 7.5M | 92% | 1 | 368K | 4.5% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | 11.1M | 94.1% | 1 | 450K | 3.8% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | 7.5M | 93.4% | 1 | 301K | 3.8% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | 6.1M | 94% | 1 | 201K | 3.1% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | 7.5M | 94.5% | 1 | 246K | 3.1% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | 7.5M | 94.2% | 1 | 246K | 3.1% | 2 |
| May 2026 | 7.5M | 94.1% | 1 | 246K | 3.1% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | 7.5M | 94.1% | 1 | 246K | 3.1% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | 7.5M | 94.6% | 1 | 201K | 2.5% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | 7.5M | 94.1% | 1 | 246K | 3.1% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Barnes & Noble’s and WHSmith’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

- **Barnes & Noble**: Measured on the search term “barnes and noble”.
- **WHSmith**: Measured on the search term “wh smith”.

- [Barnes & Noble profile](/demand/global-en/brands/barnes-noble)
- [WHSmith profile](/demand/global-en/brands/whsmith)
- [All bookstores worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/bookstores): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 brands.

## 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 is more popular in search, Barnes & Noble or WHSmith?

In August 2026, Barnes & Noble had more branded searches than WHSmith among bookstores worldwide. Barnes & Noble was estimated to have 7.5M branded searches compared to WHSmith’s 246K, and held a 94.1% Share of Search versus WHSmith’s 3.1%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Barnes & Noble vs WHSmith: Which is more popular by branded search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/barnes-noble-vs-whsmith

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