---
title: "Toy shops in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the toy shop chains people in the UK buy toys from. Share of Search among Smyths Toys, The Entertainer and Hamleys, the toy shops Brandwave compares in the 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-toy-shops"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Toy shops in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?

Compare the toy shop chains people in the UK buy toys from. Share of Search among Smyths Toys, The Entertainer and Hamleys, the toy shops Brandwave compares in the 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**: Toy shops
- **Market**: United Kingdom
- **Brands compared**: 3
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Smyths Toys, 78.5%

## Which brand is most popular in search among toy shops in the United Kingdom?

- In September 2026, Smyths Toys was the most searched among toy shops in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 2.2M branded searches, 78.5% of all searches for the three we track.
- The Entertainer is in 2nd place, 65.6 percentage points behind at 12.9%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Smyths Toys’ share of searches among toy shops in the United Kingdom increased from 75.3% to 78.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Entertainer’s share of searches among toy shops in the United Kingdom increased from 12.4% to 12.9%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hamleys’ share of searches among toy shops in the United Kingdom decreased from 12.4% to 8.6%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Smyths Toys’ share of searches among toy shops in the United Kingdom peaked at 81.7% in November 2025 and was lowest at 73.2% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Entertainer’s share of searches among toy shops in the United Kingdom peaked at 12.9% in September 2026 and was lowest at 10% in April 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hamleys’ share of searches among toy shops in the United Kingdom peaked at 15% in April 2026 and was lowest at 7.3% in November 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The Entertainer rose from 3rd to 2nd among toy shops in the United Kingdom.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hamleys fell from 2nd to 3rd among toy shops in the United Kingdom.

## Top toy shops in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Smyths Toys and Hamleys were mentioned most often, in three of the four answers. Hamleys was recommended most often, coming first in two out of three answers that gave a list. Smyths Toys was second, and The Entertainer was third.

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Hamleys | 1st | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 |
| Smyths Toys | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 |
| The Entertainer | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 |

## Every AI answer about toy shops

- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best toy shop in the UK?": 1. Hamleys, 2. Smyths Toys
- Asked ChatGPT "Which UK toy shop chain has the best prices?": 1. The Entertainer, 2. Smyths Toys
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the biggest toy shops in the UK?": 1. Hamleys, 2. Smyths Toys, 3. The Entertainer
- Searched Google, AI Overview "toy shop": 1. Hamleys

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 23, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Smyths Toys vs The Entertainer: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/smyths-toys-vs-the-entertainer): 78.5% against 12.9% Share of Search.
- [Smyths Toys vs Hamleys: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/hamleys-vs-smyths-toys): 78.5% against 8.6% Share of Search.
- [The Entertainer vs Hamleys: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/hamleys-vs-the-entertainer): 12.9% against 8.6% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom toy shops in September 2026?

- In September 2026, The Entertainer overtook Hamleys to rank 2nd among toy shops in the United Kingdom, with 12.9% of the searches.
- In September 2026, Smyths Toys gained share of searches among toy shops in the United Kingdom, from 73.2% to 78.5%.
- In September 2026, Hamleys lost share of searches among toy shops in the United Kingdom, from 14.7% to 8.6%.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Smyths Toys | 78.5% | 2.2M | +22.4% | Smyths Toys |
| 2 | The Entertainer | 12.9% | 368K | +22.3% | The Entertainer |
| 3 | Hamleys | 8.6% | 246K | -33.2% | Hamleys |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Smyths Toys | 2.2M | 75.3% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Hamleys | 368K | 12.4% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | The Entertainer | 368K | 12.4% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Smyths Toys | 4.1M | 81.7% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | The Entertainer | 550K | 11% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Hamleys | 368K | 7.3% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Smyths Toys | 3.4M | 75.3% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Hamleys | 550K | 12.4% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | The Entertainer | 550K | 12.4% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Smyths Toys | 1.2M | 73.2% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Hamleys | 246K | 14.8% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | The Entertainer | 201K | 12.1% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Smyths Toys | 1.2M | 73.2% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Hamleys | 246K | 14.8% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | The Entertainer | 201K | 12.1% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Smyths Toys | 1.5M | 77% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Hamleys | 246K | 12.6% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | The Entertainer | 201K | 10.3% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Smyths Toys | 1.5M | 74.9% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Hamleys | 301K | 15% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | The Entertainer | 201K | 10% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Smyths Toys | 1.8M | 78.8% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Hamleys | 246K | 10.6% | 2 |
| May 2026 | The Entertainer | 246K | 10.6% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Smyths Toys | 1.8M | 78.8% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Hamleys | 246K | 10.6% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | The Entertainer | 246K | 10.6% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Smyths Toys | 1.8M | 77% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Hamleys | 301K | 12.7% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | The Entertainer | 246K | 10.3% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Smyths Toys | 1.8M | 73.2% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Hamleys | 368K | 14.7% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | The Entertainer | 301K | 12% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Smyths Toys | 2.2M | 78.5% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | The Entertainer | 368K | 12.9% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Hamleys | 246K | 8.6% | 3 |

## What is being compared

- **Hamleys**: Measured on the search term “hamleys”.
- **Smyths Toys**: Measured on the search term “smyths”.
- **The Entertainer**: Measured on the search term “the entertainer”.

- [Hamleys](/demand/uk/brands/hamleys)
- [Smyths Toys](/demand/uk/brands/smyths-toys)
- [The Entertainer](/demand/uk/brands/the-entertainer)

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index 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 toy shops in the United Kingdom?

In September 2026, Smyths Toys was the most searched among toy shops in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 2.2M branded searches, 78.5% of all searches for the three we track.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Toy shops in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-toy-shops

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-toy-shops. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.