--- title: "Debenhams vs John Lewis: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is Debenhams or John Lewis more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Department stores set in the United Kingdom. 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/compare/debenhams-vs-john-lewis" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Debenhams vs John Lewis: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is Debenhams or John Lewis more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Department stores set in the United Kingdom. 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 - **Compared**: Debenhams and John Lewis - **Competitive set**: Department stores - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Debenhams Share of Search**: 7.1% - **John Lewis Share of Search**: 23.6% ## Is Debenhams or John Lewis more popular in search? - In September 2026, John Lewis had more branded searches than Debenhams among department stores in the United Kingdom. John Lewis had about 2.7 million branded searches, while Debenhams had 823,000. John Lewis made up 23.6% of all department store searches we track, and Debenhams accounted for 7.1%. - John Lewis was ahead of Debenhams in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Debenhams’ share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom moved from 8.8% to 7.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2M to 823K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, John Lewis’ share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom moved from 24.1% to 23.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.4M to 2.7M. ## Top department stores in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, John Lewis was mentioned in three out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. Debenhams 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 did search popularity change for United Kingdom department stores in September 2026? - In September 2026, John Lewis gained share of searches among department stores in the United Kingdom, from 22.5% to 23.6%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Debenhams in the United Kingdom fell 32.5% over 12 measured months, from 1.2M to 823K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Debenhams estimated searches | Debenhams Share of Search | Debenhams rank | John Lewis estimated searches | John Lewis Share of Search | John Lewis rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.2M | 8.8% | 3 | 3.4M | 24.1% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 1.8M | 9.8% | 3 | 5M | 26.8% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 1.8M | 8.9% | 5 | 5M | 24.2% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 1.2M | 9.4% | 3 | 3.4M | 25.9% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 1M | 10% | 3 | 2.2M | 22.3% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 1M | 8.5% | 3 | 2.7M | 23.3% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 1M | 9.7% | 3 | 2.2M | 21.8% | 2 | | May 2026 | 1M | 8.3% | 4 | 2.7M | 22.7% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 1M | 8.8% | 5 | 2.7M | 24.2% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 1M | 8.9% | 5 | 2.7M | 24.4% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 823K | 6.8% | 5 | 2.7M | 22.5% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 823K | 7.1% | 5 | 2.7M | 23.6% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Debenhams’ and John Lewis’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Debenhams**: Measured on the search term “debenhams”. - **John Lewis**: Measured on the search term “john lewis”. - [Debenhams profile](/demand/uk/brands/debenhams) - [John Lewis profile](/demand/uk/brands/john-lewis) - [All department stores in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-department-stores): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## 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 ### Is Debenhams or John Lewis more popular in search? In September 2026, John Lewis had more branded searches than Debenhams among department stores in the United Kingdom. John Lewis had about 2.7 million branded searches, while Debenhams had 823,000. John Lewis made up 23.6% of all department store searches we track, and Debenhams accounted for 7.1%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Debenhams vs John Lewis: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/debenhams-vs-john-lewis This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/debenhams-vs-john-lewis. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.