Sporting goods retailers in New Zealand:Which are most popular?

Name: Sporting goods retailers in New Zealand: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In October 2026, Rebel Sport was the most searched sporting goods retailer in New Zealand, accounting for 58% of all searches among the seven retailers tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Rebel Sport showed up in every answer. Rebel Sport was recommended most often, coming first in all three responses that gave a list.

Follow sporting goods retailers and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand in this set →

Top sporting goods retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Rebel Sport appeared every time. Rebel Sport was recommended most often, coming first in all three answers that gave a list. Stirling Sports was second, and Hunting & Fishing was third. JD Sports, which ranked second in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Rebel Sport	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	4 of 4
Stirling Sports	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	3 of 4
Hunting & Fishing	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	2 of 4
JD Sports	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	0 of 4
Smith's Sports Shoes	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	0 of 4
Elite Fitness	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	0 of 4
Industrial Athletic	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	0 of 4

Rebel Sport4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Stirling Sports3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Hunting & Fishing2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
JD Sports0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Smith's Sports Shoes0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Elite Fitness0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Industrial Athletic0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about sporting goods retailers

4 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Which sporting goods retailer should I shop at in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best sporting goods retailers in New Zealand?”
1. 1Rebel Sport
2. 2Hunting & Fishing
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best sporting goods retailer in New Zealand for sports gear?”
1. 1Rebel Sport
2. 2Stirling Sports
Searched Google, AI Overview
“sports shop nz”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“sporting goods nz”
1. 1Rebel Sport
2. 2Stirling Sports

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Which sporting goods retailers do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each sporting goods retailer by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven sporting goods retailers we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand, by month

Month	Rebel Sport	JD Sports	Hunting & Fishing	Stirling Sports	Smith's Sports Shoes	Elite Fitness	Industrial Athletic
Nov 2025	51.1%	22.9%	15.6%	8.4%	1.1%	0.75%	0.15%
Dec 2025	50.8%	18.6%	19%	10.2%	0.75%	0.5%	0.1%
Jan 2026	53%	15.9%	19.8%	8.7%	1.4%	0.95%	0.19%
Feb 2026	53%	19.5%	16.2%	8.7%	1.4%	0.95%	0.16%
Mar 2026	48.1%	21.6%	18%	9.7%	1.6%	0.86%	0.17%
Apr 2026	56.3%	16.9%	17.2%	7.6%	1%	0.82%	0.13%
May 2026	53.1%	19.5%	16.3%	8.7%	1.2%	0.95%	0.16%
Jun 2026	49.7%	22.4%	15.2%	10%	1.3%	1.1%	0.22%
Jul 2026	52.1%	19.2%	16%	10.5%	1.1%	0.93%	0.15%
Aug 2026	49.9%	22.5%	15.3%	10%	1.1%	1.1%	0.18%
Sep 2026	53.1%	19.6%	16.2%	8.8%	1.2%	0.95%	0.19%
Oct 2026	58%	17.4%	14.5%	7.8%	1.3%	0.85%	0.14%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Rebel Sport	58%	246K	+22.4%	+4.8 points
2, held 2nd	JD SportsJD Sports Fashion	17.4%	74K	0%	-2.1 points
3, held 3rd	Hunting & Fishing	14.5%	61.5K	+0.2%	-1.7 points
4, held 4th	Stirling Sports	7.8%	33.1K	0%	-0.9 points
5, held 5th	Smith's Sports Shoes	1.3%	5.4K	+22.9%	+0.1 points
6, held 6th	Elite Fitness	0.85%	3.6K	+0.28%	-0.1 points
7, held 7th	Industrial Athletic	0.14%	590	-18.1%	-0.1 points

1.Rebel Sport
58%
Held 1st. 246K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share +4.8 points.
2.JD Sports
17.4%
Held 2nd. 74K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2.1 points.
3.Hunting & Fishing
14.5%
Held 3rd. 61.5K estimated branded searches, +0.2% vs prior month. Share -1.7 points.
4.Stirling Sports
7.8%
Held 4th. 33.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.9 points.
5.Smith's Sports Shoes
1.3%
Held 5th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, +22.9% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
6.Elite Fitness
0.85%
Held 6th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, +0.28% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
7.Industrial Athletic
0.14%
Held 7th. 590 estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand?

7 brands

In October 2026, Rebel Sport was the most searched among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand, with an estimated 246K branded searches, 58% of all searches for the seven tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. JD Sports is in 2nd place, 40.5 percentage points behind at 17.4%.

New Zealand sporting goods retailers, last 12 months ending October 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Rebel Sport	51.1% → 58%	58%Oct 2026	48.1%Mar 2026	1st
JD Sports	22.9% → 17.4%	22.9%Nov 2025	15.9%Jan 2026	2nd
Hunting & Fishing	15.6% → 14.5%	19.8%Jan 2026	14.5%Oct 2026	3rd
Stirling Sports	8.4% → 7.8%	10.5%Jul 2026	7.6%Apr 2026	4th
Smith's Sports Shoes	1.1% → 1.3%	1.6%Mar 2026	0.75%Dec 2025	5th
Elite Fitness	0.75% → 0.85%	1.1%Aug 2026	0.5%Dec 2025	6th
Industrial Athletic	0.15% → 0.14%	0.22%Jun 2026	0.1%Dec 2025	7th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Rebel Sport’s share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand increased from 51.1% to 58%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, JD Sports’ share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand decreased from 22.9% to 17.4%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Hunting & Fishing’s share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand decreased from 15.6% to 14.5%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Stirling Sports’ share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand decreased from 8.4% to 7.8%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Rebel Sport’s share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand peaked at 58% in October 2026 and was lowest at 48.1% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, JD Sports’ share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand peaked at 22.9% in November 2025 and was lowest at 15.9% in January 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Hunting & Fishing’s share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand peaked at 19.8% in January 2026 and was lowest at 14.5% in October 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Stirling Sports’ share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand peaked at 10.5% in July 2026 and was lowest at 7.6% in April 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Smith's Sports Shoes, Elite Fitness and Industrial Athletic held steady: their share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand sporting goods retailers in October 2026?

7 changes

In October 2026, Rebel Sport gained share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand, from 53.1% to 58%.
In October 2026, JD Sports lost share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand, from 19.6% to 17.4%.
In October 2026, Hunting & Fishing lost share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand, from 16.2% to 14.5%.
In October 2026, Stirling Sports lost share of searches among sporting goods retailers in New Zealand, from 8.8% to 7.8%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Industrial Athletic in New Zealand fell 33% over 12 measured months, from 880 to 590 in October 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Smith's Sports Shoes in New Zealand fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 5.4K in October 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Elite Fitness in New Zealand fell 18% over 12 measured months, from 4.4K to 3.6K in October 2026.

How are branded searches counted for sporting goods retailers?

13 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among sporting goods retailers comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.