--- title: "Bookstores in United Kingdom: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the bookstores shoppers use. Share of Search among WHSmith, Blackwell's, Waterstones and Foyles, the bookstores Brandwave compares in United Kingdom, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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/categories/uk-bookstores" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Bookstores in United Kingdom: Which are searched most? Compare the bookstores shoppers use. Share of Search among WHSmith, Blackwell's, Waterstones and Foyles, the bookstores Brandwave compares in United Kingdom, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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 - **Competitive set**: Bookstores - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Brands compared**: 4 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: WHSmith, 61.2% ## Which brand is most popular in search among bookstores in United Kingdom? - In September 2026, WHSmith was the most searched among bookstores in United Kingdom, with an estimated 165K branded searches and 61.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. - Blackwell's is in 2nd place, 27.6 percentage points behind at 33.5% Share of Search. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WHSmith’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom decreased from 76.9% to 61.2%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Blackwell's’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom increased from 18.9% to 33.5%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Waterstones’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom increased from 3.1% to 3.7%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Foyles’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom increased from 1.1% to 1.6%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Blackwell's’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom peaked at 33.8% in July 2026 and was lowest at 18.4% in December 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Waterstones’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom peaked at 5.5% in December 2025 and was lowest at 2.8% in April 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Foyles’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom peaked at 2.2% in February 2026 and was lowest at 0.91% in November 2025. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [WHSmith vs Blackwell's: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/blackwell-s-vs-whsmith): 61.2% against 33.5% Share of Search. - [WHSmith vs Waterstones: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/waterstones-vs-whsmith): 61.2% against 3.7% Share of Search. - [Blackwell's vs Waterstones: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/blackwell-s-vs-waterstones): 33.5% against 3.7% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom bookstores in September 2026? - In September 2026, Waterstones gained estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom, from 3% to 3.7%. - WHSmith’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 65.6% to 61.2% in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Foyles in United Kingdom fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 5.4K to 4.4K in September 2026. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | WHSmith | 61.2% | 165K | 0.0% | WHSmith | | 2 | Blackwell's | 33.5% | 90.5K | 0.0% | Blackwell's | | 3 | Waterstones | 3.7% | 9.9K | +22.2% | Waterstones | | 4 | Foyles | 1.6% | 4.4K | -18.5% | Foyles | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | WHSmith | 368K | 76.9% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Blackwell's | 90.5K | 18.9% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Waterstones | 14.8K | 3.1% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | Foyles | 5.4K | 1.1% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | WHSmith | 368K | 76.5% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Blackwell's | 90.5K | 18.8% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | Waterstones | 18.1K | 3.8% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Foyles | 4.4K | 0.91% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | WHSmith | 368K | 74.9% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Blackwell's | 90.5K | 18.4% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Waterstones | 27.1K | 5.5% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Foyles | 5.4K | 1.1% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | WHSmith | 246K | 73.1% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Blackwell's | 74K | 22% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Waterstones | 12.1K | 3.6% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Foyles | 4.4K | 1.3% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | WHSmith | 165K | 68.5% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Blackwell's | 60.5K | 25.1% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Waterstones | 9.9K | 4.1% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Foyles | 5.4K | 2.2% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | WHSmith | 201K | 69.5% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Blackwell's | 74K | 25.6% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | Waterstones | 9.9K | 3.4% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Foyles | 4.4K | 1.5% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | WHSmith | 201K | 70.1% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Blackwell's | 74K | 25.8% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | Waterstones | 8.1K | 2.8% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Foyles | 3.6K | 1.3% | 4 | | May 2026 | WHSmith | 201K | 70.1% | 1 | | May 2026 | Blackwell's | 74K | 25.8% | 2 | | May 2026 | Waterstones | 8.1K | 2.8% | 3 | | May 2026 | Foyles | 3.6K | 1.3% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | WHSmith | 165K | 65.6% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Blackwell's | 74K | 29.4% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Waterstones | 8.1K | 3.2% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Foyles | 4.4K | 1.7% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | WHSmith | 165K | 61.6% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Blackwell's | 90.5K | 33.8% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Waterstones | 8.1K | 3% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Foyles | 4.4K | 1.6% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | WHSmith | 165K | 61.3% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Blackwell's | 90.5K | 33.6% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Waterstones | 8.1K | 3% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Foyles | 5.4K | 2% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | WHSmith | 165K | 61.2% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Blackwell's | 90.5K | 33.5% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | Waterstones | 9.9K | 3.7% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Foyles | 4.4K | 1.6% | 4 | ## What is being compared - **Blackwell's**: Measured on the search terms “blackwell s” and “blackwells”, summed into one figure. - **Foyles**: Measured on the search term “foyles bookshop”. - **Waterstones**: Measured on the search term “waterstones books”. - **WHSmith**: Measured on the search term “wh smith”. - [Blackwell's](/demand/uk/brands/blackwell-s) - [Foyles](/demand/uk/brands/foyles) - [Waterstones](/demand/uk/brands/waterstones) - [WHSmith](/demand/uk/brands/whsmith) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among bookstores in United Kingdom? In September 2026, WHSmith was the most searched among bookstores in United Kingdom, with an estimated 165K branded searches and 61.2% estimated Share of Search within this set. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Bookstores in United Kingdom: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-bookstores This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-bookstores. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.