--- title: "Sports Direct: search popularity in the United Kingdom" description: "Sports Direct is a sports retailer selling sportswear, trainers and equipment. 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/sports-direct" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Sports Direct: search popularity in the United Kingdom Sports Direct is a sports retailer selling sportswear, trainers and equipment. 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**: Sports Direct - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among shoe retailers**: 51.8% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Shoe retailers | 1 | 51.8% | 3.4M | | Sports retailers | 1 | 53.8% | 3.4M | - [Shoe retailers in the UK](/demand/uk/categories/uk-shoe-retailers) - [Sports retailers in the UK](/demand/uk/categories/uk-sports-retailers) ## Top shoe retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Sports Direct was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Sports Direct is the fourth most recommended of the seven. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | schuh | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | JD Sports | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Office | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Sports Direct | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Clarks | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Foot Locker | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Kurt Geiger | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about shoe retailers - Asked ChatGPT "Where should I buy shoes and trainers in the UK?": 1. JD Sports, 2. Sports Direct, 3. schuh, 4. Office, 5. Clarks, 6. Foot Locker - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best shoe shops in the UK?": 1. schuh, 2. Clarks, 3. Office, 4. JD Sports - Asked ChatGPT "Which UK shoe shop has the best range of trainers?": 1. JD Sports, 2. schuh, 3. Sports Direct, 4. Foot Locker - Searched Google, AI Overview "shoes": 1. schuh, 2. Office Not named in any answer: Kurt Geiger. 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 Sports Direct changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Sports Direct in the United Kingdom held steady at 3.4M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sports Direct’s share of searches among shoe retailers in the United Kingdom increased from 47.4% to 51.8%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sports Direct’s share of searches among shoe retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 53.6% in May 2026 and was lowest at 41.5% in December 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sports Direct’s share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom increased from 49.7% to 53.8%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sports Direct’s share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 54.4% in May 2026 and was lowest at 45.1% in December 2025. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom shoe retailers in September 2026? - In September 2026, schuh overtook Clarks to rank 3rd among shoe retailers in the United Kingdom, with 8.5% of the searches. - In September 2026, Sports Direct gained share of searches among shoe retailers in the United Kingdom, from 47.9% to 51.8%. - In September 2026, Office gained share of searches among shoe retailers in the United Kingdom, from 2.4% to 3.1%. - In September 2026, JD Sports lost share of searches among shoe retailers in the United Kingdom, from 26.3% to 23.2%. - In September 2026, Clarks lost share of searches among shoe retailers in the United Kingdom, from 9.6% to 7%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Foot Locker in the United Kingdom fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 450K to 301K in September 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom sports retailers in September 2026? - In September 2026, Sports Direct gained share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom, from 50.1% to 53.8%. - In September 2026, Pro:Direct gained share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom, from 1.7% to 2.2%. - In September 2026, JD Sports lost share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom, from 27.4% to 24.1%. - In September 2026, Decathlon lost share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom, from 14.9% to 13.2%. - SportsShoes.com’s share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 1.2% to 1.9% in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Foot Locker in the United Kingdom fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 450K to 301K in September 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Shoe retailers | 3.4M | 47.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Shoe retailers | 4.1M | 43.7% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Shoe retailers | 4.1M | 41.5% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Shoe retailers | 3.4M | 50.2% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Shoe retailers | 2.7M | 51.2% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Shoe retailers | 3.4M | 49.9% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Shoe retailers | 3.4M | 48.8% | 1 | | May 2026 | Shoe retailers | 4.1M | 53.6% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Shoe retailers | 3.4M | 45.9% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Shoe retailers | 3.4M | 48% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Shoe retailers | 4.1M | 47.9% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Shoe retailers | 3.4M | 51.8% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Sports retailers | 3.4M | 49.7% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Sports retailers | 4.1M | 46.3% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Sports retailers | 4.1M | 45.1% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Sports retailers | 3.4M | 51.6% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Sports retailers | 2.7M | 51.8% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Sports retailers | 3.4M | 51.1% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Sports retailers | 3.4M | 49.4% | 1 | | May 2026 | Sports retailers | 4.1M | 54.4% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Sports retailers | 3.4M | 46.7% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Sports retailers | 3.4M | 47.8% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Sports retailers | 4.1M | 50.1% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Sports retailers | 3.4M | 53.8% | 1 | ## How are Sports Direct’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Sports Direct’s 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. - “sports direct” ## Which shoe retailers compete with Sports Direct? - [JD Sports](/demand/uk/brands/jd-sports): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/jd-sports-vs-sports-direct - [schuh](/demand/uk/brands/schuh): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/schuh-vs-sports-direct - [Clarks](/demand/uk/brands/clarks): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/clarks-vs-sports-direct - [Foot Locker](/demand/uk/brands/foot-locker): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/foot-locker-vs-sports-direct - [Office](/demand/uk/brands/office-shoes): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/office-shoes-vs-sports-direct - [Kurt Geiger](/demand/uk/brands/kurt-geiger) ## 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. "Sports Direct: search popularity in the United Kingdom". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/sports-direct This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/sports-direct. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.