Sports Direct named UK’s leading footwear retailer, new data reveals
Sports Direct has been revealed as the leading brand in the UK’s footwear sector, according to a newly published report by Salience Search Marketing.
The annual industry report identifies the top-performing brands based on online visibility and prominence. Using 11 key performance indicators, such as year-on-year visibility growth, search volume trends and brand awareness, the report uncovers which footwear retailers are capturing the most attention from UK consumers online.
Sports Direct topped the list for 2025, achieving an impressive organic traffic score of 5,830,568. The retailer, best known for its wide-ranging offering of sports clothing and footwear, came ahead of global powerhouse Nike, which ranked second with an organic traffic score of 5,597,452. JD Sports, another major high street and online player, followed in third place with a score of 4,677,015.
Adidas took the fourth spot, Schuh followed in fifth and New Balance in sixth. Office, Ugg, Crocs and Clarks were also in the top 10.
Brett Janes, Managing Director at Salience Search Marketing, said: "By analysing the market leaders of a particular industry, it’s easy to spot the brands doing everything right. This year, companies such as Sports Direct and Nike lead the way, acting as examples for the rest of the industry.
"Overall, it’ll be interesting to track this top ten list over the next twelve months to uncover any changes or if a new brand emerges as the market leader within the UK’s footwear sector."
Despite Sports Direct taking top spot, the retailer is currently under investigation. According to consumer group Which?, Sports Direct’s pricing could be misleading shoppers into thinking they are getting a better deal than they really are. The watchdog has reported Sports Direct to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) following tip-offs over the retail giant’s use of Recommended Retail Prices (RRPs).
Sports Direct commonly prices its products with a comparative RRP figure to indicate it is offering customers a cheaper deal. But Which? said its researchers could not find some items sold at Sports Direct’s stated RRP price anywhere else online.
