--- title: "Debenhams: search popularity in the United Kingdom" description: "Debenhams is an online department store. 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/uk/brands/debenhams" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Debenhams: search popularity in the United Kingdom Debenhams is an online department store. 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 - **Brand**: Debenhams - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among department stores**: 7.1% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Department stores | 5 | 7.1% | 823K | - [Department stores in the UK](/demand/uk/categories/uk-department-stores) ## Top department stores in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Debenhams did not appear in any of the four answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Harrods | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Selfridges | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | John Lewis | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Liberty London | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Harvey Nichols | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | M&S | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Debenhams | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | House of Fraser | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about department stores - Asked ChatGPT "Which department store should I shop at in the UK?": 1. John Lewis, 2. Selfridges, 3. Harrods - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best department stores in the UK?": 1. Harrods, 2. Selfridges, 3. Liberty London, 4. John Lewis, 5. Harvey Nichols - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best UK department store for designer brands?": 1. Harrods, 2. Selfridges, 3. Harvey Nichols, 4. Liberty London - Searched Google, AI Overview "department store": 1. Harrods, 2. Selfridges, 3. John Lewis, 4. Liberty London Not named in any answer: M&S, Debenhams and House of Fraser. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Debenhams changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Debenhams in the United Kingdom fell from 1.2M to 823K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Debenhams’ share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom decreased from 8.8% to 7.1%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Debenhams’ share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom peaked at 10% in February 2026 and was lowest at 6.8% in August 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Debenhams fell from 3rd to 5th among department stores in the United Kingdom. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom department stores in September 2026? - In September 2026, M&S gained share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom, from 45% to 47.3%. - In September 2026, John Lewis gained share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom, from 22.5% to 23.6%. - In September 2026, Harrods lost share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom, from 10% to 8.6%. - In September 2026, Selfridges lost share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom, from 10% to 8.6%. - In September 2026, Harvey Nichols lost share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom, from 2% to 1.2%. - In September 2026, House of Fraser rose from 8th to 7th among department stores in the United Kingdom. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Department stores | 1.2M | 8.8% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Department stores | 1.8M | 9.8% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Department stores | 1.8M | 8.9% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | Department stores | 1.2M | 9.4% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Department stores | 1M | 10% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Department stores | 1M | 8.5% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Department stores | 1M | 9.7% | 3 | | May 2026 | Department stores | 1M | 8.3% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Department stores | 1M | 8.8% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | Department stores | 1M | 8.9% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | Department stores | 823K | 6.8% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Department stores | 823K | 7.1% | 5 | ## How are Debenhams’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Debenhams’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “debenhams” ## Which department stores compete with Debenhams? - [M&S](/demand/uk/brands/marks-and-spencer) - [John Lewis](/demand/uk/brands/john-lewis): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/debenhams-vs-john-lewis - [Harrods](/demand/uk/brands/harrods): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/debenhams-vs-harrods - [Selfridges](/demand/uk/brands/selfridges): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/debenhams-vs-selfridges - [Liberty London](/demand/uk/brands/liberty-london): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/debenhams-vs-liberty-london - [House of Fraser](/demand/uk/brands/house-of-fraser): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/debenhams-vs-house-of-fraser - [Harvey Nichols](/demand/uk/brands/harvey-nichols) ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Debenhams: search popularity in the United Kingdom". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/debenhams This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/debenhams. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.