Brandwave

M&S vs Sainsbury's:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Sainsbury's had more branded searches than M&S among supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Sainsbury's had about 9.1 million branded searches, while M&S had 368,000. Sainsbury's made up 25.4% of all supermarket searches we track, and M&S accounted for 1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about supermarkets, Sainsbury's appeared in all three answers and M&S in one. Sainsbury's was mentioned before M&S in two out of three answers.

Among supermarkets in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Sainsbury's, about 25 searches for every 1 for M&S

Sainsbury's 9.1M searchesM&S 368K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Sainsbury's, mentioned in every answer we collected

Sainsbury's in 3 of 3M&S in 1 of 3

Who does AI recommend more?

Sainsbury's, named ahead of M&S in 2 of 3 answers

Sainsbury's first in 2M&S first in 1

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Top supermarkets in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, Sainsbury's appeared in all three answers. M&S was mentioned in one out of three: in one of the three ChatGPT answers. Sainsbury's was listed before M&S in two out of three answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Sainsbury's1st
  2. Tesco2nd
  3. Asda3rd
  4. Waitrose4th
  5. Lidl5th
  6. Ocado6th
  7. Aldi7th
  8. M&S8th
  9. Morrisons9th
  10. Co-op–
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Sainsbury's3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Asda3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Waitrose3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Lidl2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Tesco2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Ocado2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Aldi1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Morrisons1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • M&S1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Co-op0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers

+1 more

See every answer about supermarkets

3 answers

Not named in any answer:

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

Is M&S or Sainsbury's more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for M&S and Sainsbury's by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 supermarkets we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

M&S and Sainsbury's among supermarkets in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for Sainsbury's, M&S. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthSainsbury'sAldiLidlMorrisonsTescoAsdaOcadoWaitroseM&SCo-opIceland
Oct 202523.7%13%13%13%15.9%13%2.6%3.9%0.95%0.64%0.44%
Nov 202522.9%12.6%12.6%15.4%15.4%12.6%2.5%3.8%1.1%0.62%0.59%
Dec 202524.5%11.1%11%13.5%16.5%13.5%2.2%4.9%1.5%0.67%0.44%
Jan 202623.9%13.1%13.1%13.1%16%13.1%2.6%3.2%0.79%0.64%0.5%
Feb 202622.9%12.6%12.5%15.3%15.3%12.5%3.1%3.7%0.92%0.61%0.59%
Mar 202624.5%13.4%13.4%13.4%16.4%10.9%2.7%3.3%0.81%0.66%0.63%
Apr 202625.3%13.9%13.8%13.8%13.8%11.3%2.8%3.4%0.83%0.56%0.53%
May 202623.8%16%15.9%13%13%10.6%2.6%3.2%0.78%0.52%0.5%
Jun 202621.8%14.7%14.6%14.6%14.6%11.9%2.9%2.9%0.88%0.48%0.55%
Jul 202625.4%14%13.9%13.9%13.9%11.4%2.8%2.8%0.84%0.56%0.63%
Aug 202623.8%16%15.9%13%13%10.6%2.6%3.2%0.78%0.52%0.59%
Sep 202625.4%14%13.9%13.9%13.9%11.4%2.8%2.8%1%0.56%0.53%

M&S sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “m&s food”.

How has the M&S and Sainsbury's comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Sainsbury's was ahead of M&S in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, M&S’s share of searches among supermarkets in the United Kingdom moved from 0.95% to 1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 368K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sainsbury's’ share of searches among supermarkets in the United Kingdom moved from 23.7% to 25.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 9.1M.

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

1 change

  1. In September 2026, Sainsbury's gained share of searches among supermarkets in the United Kingdom, from 23.8% to 25.4%.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using M&S’s and Sainsbury'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.

M&S

1 branded search term

  • m&s food

Sainsbury's

1 branded search term

  • sainsburys

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among supermarkets

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