--- title: "Plumb Center vs Toolstation: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is Plumb Center or Toolstation more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Plumbers merchants 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/plumb-center-vs-toolstation" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Plumb Center vs Toolstation: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is Plumb Center or Toolstation more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Plumbers merchants 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**: Plumb Center and Toolstation - **Competitive set**: Plumbers merchants - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Plumb Center Share of Search**: 21.6% - **Toolstation Share of Search**: 0.11% ## Is Plumb Center or Toolstation more popular in search? - In September 2026, Plumb Center had more branded searches than Toolstation among plumbers merchants in the United Kingdom. Plumb Center had about 40,500 branded searches, while Toolstation had 210. Plumb Center made up 21.6% of all plumbers merchant searches we track, and Toolstation accounted for 0.11%. - Plumb Center was ahead of Toolstation in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Plumb Center’s share of searches among plumbers merchants in the United Kingdom moved from 16.4% to 21.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 40.5K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Toolstation’s share of searches among plumbers merchants in the United Kingdom moved from 0.13% to 0.11%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 320 to 210. ## Top plumbers merchants in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Plumb Center appeared in all four answers. Toolstation was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Plumb Center was listed before Toolstation in every answer. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | City Plumbing | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Plumb Center | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Toolstation | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Screwfix | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Plumbase | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | PTS | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | PlumbNation | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Plumbing Superstore | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | BSS | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about plumbers merchants - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best plumbers merchant in the UK for trade prices?": 1. City Plumbing, 2. Plumb Center, 3. Plumbase, 4. Toolstation - Asked ChatGPT "Where can heating engineers in the UK buy boilers and parts quickly?": 1. Plumb Center, 2. City Plumbing - Asked ChatGPT "Which UK plumbing suppliers deliver to site the next day?": 1. City Plumbing, 2. Plumb Center, 3. Toolstation, 4. Screwfix - Searched Google, AI Overview "plumbing supplies": 1. City Plumbing, 2. Plumb Center, 3. Screwfix Not named in any answer: PTS, PlumbNation, Plumbing Superstore and BSS. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 28, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom plumbers merchants in September 2026? - In September 2026, Plumb Center gained share of searches among plumbers merchants in the United Kingdom, from 20.9% to 21.6%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Toolstation in the United Kingdom fell 34.4% over 12 measured months, from 320 to 210 in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Plumb Center estimated searches | Plumb Center Share of Search | Plumb Center rank | Toolstation estimated searches | Toolstation Share of Search | Toolstation rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 40.5K | 16.4% | 2 | 320 | 0.13% | 9 | | Nov 2025 | 40.5K | 16.4% | 2 | 320 | 0.13% | 9 | | Dec 2025 | 33.1K | 16.4% | 2 | 260 | 0.13% | 9 | | Jan 2026 | 40.5K | 16.2% | 2 | 320 | 0.13% | 9 | | Feb 2026 | 33.1K | 14% | 2 | 260 | 0.11% | 9 | | Mar 2026 | 40.5K | 16.5% | 2 | 260 | 0.11% | 9 | | Apr 2026 | 33.1K | 14.3% | 2 | 210 | 0.09% | 9 | | May 2026 | 33.1K | 14.4% | 2 | 260 | 0.11% | 9 | | Jun 2026 | 33.1K | 14.3% | 2 | 260 | 0.11% | 9 | | Jul 2026 | 33.1K | 16.5% | 2 | 210 | 0.1% | 9 | | Aug 2026 | 33.1K | 20.9% | 2 | 260 | 0.16% | 9 | | Sep 2026 | 40.5K | 21.6% | 2 | 210 | 0.11% | 9 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Plumb Center’s and Toolstation’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. - **Plumb Center**: Measured on the search term “plumb center”. - **Toolstation**: Measured on the search term “toolstation plumbing”. - [Plumb Center profile](/demand/uk/brands/plumb-center) - [Toolstation profile](/demand/uk/brands/toolstation) - [All plumbers merchants in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-plumbers-merchants): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 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 Plumb Center or Toolstation more popular in search? In September 2026, Plumb Center had more branded searches than Toolstation among plumbers merchants in the United Kingdom. Plumb Center had about 40,500 branded searches, while Toolstation had 210. Plumb Center made up 21.6% of all plumbers merchant searches we track, and Toolstation accounted for 0.11%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Plumb Center vs Toolstation: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/plumb-center-vs-toolstation This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/plumb-center-vs-toolstation. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.