Blackwell's vs Waterstones:Which is more popular by branded search?

Name: Blackwell's vs Waterstones: Which is more popular by branded search?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In August 2026, Blackwell's had more branded searches than Waterstones among bookstores worldwide. Blackwell's was estimated to have 201K branded searches compared to Waterstones’ 12.1K, and held a 2.5% Share of Search versus Waterstones’ 0.15%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search among bookstores worldwide in August 2026Which is more popular in search, Blackwell's or Waterstones?

Blackwell's2.5%201K searches

vs

Waterstones0.15%12.1K searches

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Which is more popular in search, Blackwell's or Waterstones?

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.

View monthly share of search table

Month	Barnes & Noble	WHSmith	Blackwell's	Waterstones	Foyles	Dymocks
Oct 2025	89.4%	6.6%	3.6%	0.26%	0.1%	0.04%
Nov 2025	92%	4.5%	3%	0.27%	0.08%	0.04%
Dec 2025	94.1%	3.8%	1.7%	0.23%	0.07%	0.05%
Jan 2026	93.4%	3.8%	2.5%	0.18%	0.08%	0.04%
Feb 2026	94%	3.1%	2.5%	0.23%	0.1%	0.04%
Mar 2026	94.5%	3.1%	2.1%	0.19%	0.08%	0.04%
Apr 2026	94.2%	3.1%	2.5%	0.12%	0.07%	0.03%
May 2026	94.1%	3.1%	2.5%	0.15%	0.07%	0.04%
Jun 2026	94.1%	3.1%	2.5%	0.15%	0.08%	0.03%
Jul 2026	94.6%	2.5%	2.5%	0.15%	0.08%	0.04%
Aug 2026	94.1%	3.1%	2.5%	0.15%	0.08%	0.04%
Sep 2026	—	—	—	—	—	—

How has the Blackwell's and Waterstones comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

Blackwell's was ahead of Waterstones in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Blackwell's’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide moved from 3.6% to 2.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 246K to 201K.
Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Waterstones’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide moved from 0.26% to 0.15%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.1K to 12.1K.

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

3 changes

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

How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Blackwell's’ and Waterstones’ 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.