--- title: "M&S: search popularity in the United Kingdom" description: "M&S sells clothing, home goods and food in its stores and online. 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/marks-and-spencer" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # M&S: search popularity in the United Kingdom M&S sells clothing, home goods and food in its stores and online. 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**: M&S - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among department stores**: 47.3% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Department stores | 1 | 47.3% | 5.5M | - [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, M&S 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 M&S changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for M&S in the United Kingdom fell from 6.1M to 5.5M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, M&S’s share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom increased from 43.9% to 47.3%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, M&S’s share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom peaked at 47.3% in September 2026 and was lowest at 39.6% in June 2026. ## 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 | 6.1M | 43.9% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Department stores | 7.4M | 39.9% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Department stores | 8.2M | 39.6% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Department stores | 5.5M | 42.4% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Department stores | 4.5M | 44.6% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Department stores | 5.5M | 46.6% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Department stores | 4.5M | 43.7% | 1 | | May 2026 | Department stores | 5.5M | 45.5% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Department stores | 4.5M | 39.6% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Department stores | 4.5M | 39.9% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Department stores | 5.5M | 45% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Department stores | 5.5M | 47.3% | 1 | ## How are M&S’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using M&S’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “m&s” - “marks and spencer” ## Which department stores compete with M&S? - [John Lewis](/demand/uk/brands/john-lewis): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/john-lewis-vs-marks-and-spencer - [Harrods](/demand/uk/brands/harrods): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/harrods-vs-marks-and-spencer - [Selfridges](/demand/uk/brands/selfridges): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/marks-and-spencer-vs-selfridges - [Debenhams](/demand/uk/brands/debenhams): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/debenhams-vs-marks-and-spencer - [Liberty London](/demand/uk/brands/liberty-london): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/liberty-london-vs-marks-and-spencer - [House of Fraser](/demand/uk/brands/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. "M&S: search popularity in the United Kingdom". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/marks-and-spencer This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/marks-and-spencer. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.