Sports retailers in the United Kingdom:Which are most popular?

Name: Sports retailers in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, Sports Direct was the most searched sports retailer in the United Kingdom, accounting for 53.8% of all searches among the six retailers we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Sports Direct and Decathlon showed up in every answer. Sports Direct was recommended most often, coming first in two out of four responses.

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Top sports retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Sports Direct and Decathlon appeared every time. Sports Direct was recommended most often, coming first in two out of four answers. Decathlon was second, and JD Sports was third. Pro:Direct, which ranked fifth 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
Sports Direct	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	4 of 4
Decathlon	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	4 of 4
JD Sports	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	2 of 4
Foot Locker	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	2 of 4
SportsShoes.com	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	2 of 4
Pro:Direct	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	0 of 4

Sports Direct4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Decathlon4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
JD Sports2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Foot Locker2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
SportsShoes.com2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Pro:Direct0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about sports retailers

4 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Where should I buy trainers and sportswear in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best sports shops in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which sports shop in the UK has the best prices on running gear?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“sports shops”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“sportswear”
1. 1Sports Direct
2. 2Decathlon

Not named in any answer:

Pro:Direct

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026.

Which sports retailers do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each sports retailer by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six sports retailers we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

Share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom, by month

Month	Sports Direct	JD Sports	Decathlon	Foot Locker	Pro:Direct	SportsShoes.com
Oct 2025	49.7%	27.2%	12.2%	6.7%	2.4%	1.8%
Nov 2025	46.3%	31%	11.3%	7.6%	1.9%	2%
Dec 2025	45.1%	36.9%	9.1%	6.1%	1.5%	1.3%
Jan 2026	51.6%	23.1%	15.4%	5.7%	2.1%	2.2%
Feb 2026	51.8%	23.1%	15.6%	5.7%	2.1%	1.9%
Mar 2026	51.1%	27.9%	12.6%	4.6%	2.1%	1.8%
Apr 2026	49.4%	27%	14.8%	5.4%	1.6%	1.7%
May 2026	54.4%	24.3%	13.3%	4.9%	1.5%	1.6%
Jun 2026	46.7%	31.2%	13.9%	5.1%	1.9%	1.2%
Jul 2026	47.8%	26.1%	17.4%	5.3%	1.9%	1.4%
Aug 2026	50.1%	27.4%	14.9%	4.5%	1.7%	1.4%
Sep 2026	53.8%	24.1%	13.2%	4.8%	2.2%	1.9%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Sports Direct	53.8%	3.4M	-18.1%	+3.7 points
2, held 2nd	JD Sports	24.1%	1.5M	-33%	-3.3 points
3, held 3rd	Decathlon	13.2%	823K	-32.5%	-1.7 points
4, held 4th	Foot Locker	4.8%	301K	-18.2%	+0.3 points
5, held 5th	Pro:Direct	2.2%	135K	0%	+0.5 points
6, held 6th	SportsShoes.com	1.9%	118K	0%	+0.5 points

1.Sports Direct
53.8%
Held 1st. 3.4M estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share +3.7 points.
2.JD Sports
24.1%
Held 2nd. 1.5M estimated branded searches, -33% vs prior month. Share -3.3 points.
3.Decathlon
13.2%
Held 3rd. 823K estimated branded searches, -32.5% vs prior month. Share -1.7 points.
4.Foot Locker
4.8%
Held 4th. 301K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.
5.Pro:Direct
2.2%
Held 5th. 135K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.
6.SportsShoes.com
1.9%
Held 6th. 118K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among sports retailers in the United Kingdom?

6 brands

In September 2026, Sports Direct was the most searched among sports retailers in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 3.4M branded searches, 53.8% of all searches for the six we track. JD Sports is in 2nd place, 29.7 percentage points behind at 24.1%.

United Kingdom sports retailers, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Sports Direct	49.7% → 53.8%	54.4%May 2026	45.1%Dec 2025	1st
JD Sports	27.2% → 24.1%	36.9%Dec 2025	23.1%Feb 2026	2nd
Decathlon	12.2% → 13.2%	17.4%Jul 2026	9.1%Dec 2025	3rd
Foot Locker	6.7% → 4.8%	7.6%Nov 2025	4.5%Aug 2026	4th
Pro:Direct	2.4% → 2.2%	2.4%Oct 2025	1.5%May 2026	5th
SportsShoes.com	1.8% → 1.9%	2.2%Jan 2026	1.2%Jun 2026	6th

Each finding as a sentence

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, JD Sports’ share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom decreased from 27.2% to 24.1%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Decathlon’s share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom increased from 12.2% to 13.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Foot Locker’s share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom decreased from 6.7% to 4.8%.
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.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, JD Sports’ share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 36.9% in December 2025 and was lowest at 23.1% in February 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Decathlon’s share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 17.4% in July 2026 and was lowest at 9.1% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Foot Locker’s share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 7.6% in November 2025 and was lowest at 4.5% in August 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SportsShoes.com’s share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 2.2% in January 2026 and was lowest at 1.2% in June 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pro:Direct and SportsShoes.com held steady: their share of searches among sports retailers in the United Kingdom each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for United Kingdom sports retailers in September 2026?

6 changes

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.

How are branded searches counted for sports retailers?

7 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among sports 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.