---
title: "Foyles vs WHSmith: Which is searched more in United Kingdom?"
description: "Which is more popular in search, Foyles or WHSmith? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Bookstores set in 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/foyles-vs-whsmith"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Foyles vs WHSmith: Which is searched more in United Kingdom?

Which is more popular in search, Foyles or WHSmith? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Bookstores set in 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**: Foyles and WHSmith
- **Competitive set**: Bookstores
- **Market**: United Kingdom
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Foyles Share of Search**: 1.6%
- **WHSmith Share of Search**: 61.2%

## Which is more popular in search, Foyles or WHSmith?

- In September 2026, WHSmith had more branded searches than Foyles among bookstores in United Kingdom. WHSmith was estimated to have 165K branded searches compared to Foyles’ 4.4K, and held a 61.2% Share of Search versus Foyles’ 1.6%.
- WHSmith was ahead of Foyles in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Foyles’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom moved from 1.1% to 1.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5.4K to 4.4K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WHSmith’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores in United Kingdom moved from 76.9% to 61.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 368K to 165K.

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

- 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.

## Month by month

| Month | Foyles estimated searches | Foyles Share of Search | Foyles rank | WHSmith estimated searches | WHSmith Share of Search | WHSmith rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 5.4K | 1.1% | 4 | 368K | 76.9% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | 4.4K | 0.91% | 4 | 368K | 76.5% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | 5.4K | 1.1% | 4 | 368K | 74.9% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | 4.4K | 1.3% | 4 | 246K | 73.1% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | 5.4K | 2.2% | 4 | 165K | 68.5% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | 4.4K | 1.5% | 4 | 201K | 69.5% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | 3.6K | 1.3% | 4 | 201K | 70.1% | 1 |
| May 2026 | 3.6K | 1.3% | 4 | 201K | 70.1% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | 4.4K | 1.7% | 4 | 165K | 65.6% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | 4.4K | 1.6% | 4 | 165K | 61.6% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | 5.4K | 2% | 4 | 165K | 61.3% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | 4.4K | 1.6% | 4 | 165K | 61.2% | 1 |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Foyles’ and WHSmith’s 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.

- **Foyles**: Measured on the search term “foyles bookshop”.
- **WHSmith**: Measured on the search term “wh smith”.

- [Foyles profile](/demand/uk/brands/foyles)
- [WHSmith profile](/demand/uk/brands/whsmith)
- [All bookstores in United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-bookstores): The set both shares are measured inside, 4 brands.

## 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 is more popular in search, Foyles or WHSmith?

In September 2026, WHSmith had more branded searches than Foyles among bookstores in United Kingdom. WHSmith was estimated to have 165K branded searches compared to Foyles’ 4.4K, and held a 61.2% Share of Search versus Foyles’ 1.6%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Foyles vs WHSmith: Which is searched more in United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/foyles-vs-whsmith

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/foyles-vs-whsmith. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.