Brandwave

John Lewis vs Rugs Direct:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, John Lewis had more branded searches than Rugs Direct among rug retailers in the United Kingdom. John Lewis had about 18,100 branded searches, while Rugs Direct had 14,800. John Lewis made up 7.2% of all rug retailer searches we track, and Rugs Direct accounted for 5.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about rug retailers, John Lewis and Rugs Direct each appeared in two of the five answers. Rugs Direct was mentioned before John Lewis in two out of three answers that named either.

Among rug retailers in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

John Lewis, about 22% more searches than Rugs Direct

John Lewis 18.1K searchesRugs Direct 14.8K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 2 of 5 answers.

John Lewis in 2 of 5Rugs Direct in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Rugs Direct, named ahead of John Lewis in 2 of 3 answers

Rugs Direct first in 2John Lewis first in 1

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Top rug retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, John Lewis was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Rugs Direct was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Rugs Direct was listed before John Lewis in two out of three answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Dunelm1st
  2. IKEA2nd
  3. Ruggable3rd
  4. Next3rd
  5. Habitat5th
  6. Rugs Direct6th
  7. La Redoute7th
  8. Wayfair8th
  9. John Lewis9th
  10. The Rug Seller10th
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Dunelm5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • IKEA4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ruggable4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Next3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • John Lewis2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Rugs Direct2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Wayfair2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Habitat2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • La Redoute2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Land of Rugs1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about rug retailers

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026.

Is John Lewis or Rugs Direct more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for John Lewis and Rugs Direct by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 rug retailers we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

John Lewis and Rugs Direct among rug retailers in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for John Lewis, Rugs Direct. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthDunelmIKEARuggableNextJohn LewisRugs DirectWayfairHabitatLa RedouteLand of RugsThe Rug Seller
Oct 202532.4%17.8%21.8%8%6.5%5.3%4.4%2.4%0.85%0.38%0.26%
Nov 202531%17.1%20.9%9.3%6.3%5.1%6.3%2.3%1%0.45%0.25%
Dec 202535.5%15.9%19.4%8.7%5.8%5.8%4.7%2.6%0.94%0.39%0.23%
Jan 202632.6%17.8%17.8%9.8%6.5%5.3%5.3%2.9%1%0.47%0.26%
Feb 202632.9%18%18%9.9%6.6%5.4%4.4%2.9%1.1%0.45%0.26%
Mar 202633.5%18.3%18.3%8.2%6.7%5.5%5.5%2.4%0.86%0.45%0.22%
Apr 202631.1%17%20.8%9.3%6.2%6.2%5.1%2.8%0.98%0.37%0.25%
May 202633.8%18.5%18.5%8.3%6.8%5.5%4.5%2.5%1.1%0.4%0.27%
Jun 202636.3%16.2%19.8%7.3%5.9%5.9%4.9%2.2%0.96%0.35%0.23%
Jul 202630.1%20.1%20.1%9%6%6%4.9%2.2%0.97%0.36%0.24%
Aug 202633.2%18.2%18.2%10%6.6%5.4%4.4%2.4%1.1%0.26%0.26%
Sep 202629.6%19.8%19.8%8.9%7.2%5.9%4.8%2.6%0.96%0.24%0.19%

John Lewis sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “john lewis rugs”.

How has the John Lewis and Rugs Direct comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, John Lewis gained share of searches among rug retailers in the United Kingdom, from 6.6% to 7.2%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Rugs Direct in the United Kingdom fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 14.8K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using John Lewis’ and Rugs Direct’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.

John Lewis

1 branded search term

  • john lewis rugs

Rugs Direct

1 branded search term

  • rugs direct

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among rug retailers

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