Revealed: the most LOVED and LOATHED brands

MoneySavers have remained firm fans of Aldi, Amazon and John Lewis in the latest 'Love or Loathe' poll by the UK’s leading consumer website, MoneySavingExpert.com.

The poll, which last took place in 2016, asked consumers to pick up to five brands they 'love' and up to five brands they 'loathe' out of a total of 52 options, with 7,600 MoneySavers responding.

Factoring in both 'love' and 'loathe' votes(1), Wilko was the most popular brand, with 94% of those voting for it positive about the store. House of Fraser, which has been embroiled in controversy over outstanding orders and unspent gift cards since it went into administration in August, has shot up the 'most-loathed' rankings. The wooden spoon was taken by Sports Direct, which bought House of Fraser earlier this year – it's worth noting, however, there was some evidence that respondents organised on social media to vote against Sports Direct(2).

The top 10 most-loved brands according to MoneySavers (by number of votes):

1. Aldi, with 2,908 'love' votes (1st in 2016)

2. Amazon, with 2,623 'love' votes (2nd in 2016)

3. John Lewis, with 1,979 'love' votes (3rd in 2016)

4. M&S, with 1,788 'love' votes (4th in 2016)

5. Lidl, with 1,688 'love' votes (5th in 2016)

6. Ikea, with 1,565 'love' votes (7th in 2016)

7. Home Bargains, with 1,233 'love' votes (did not feature in 2016 poll)

8. eBay, with 1,230 'love' votes (9th in 2016)

9. Waitrose, with 1,180 'love' votes (6th in 2016)

10. Wilko, with 1,167 'love' votes (8th in 2016)

The top 10 most-loathed brands according to MoneySavers (by number of votes):

1. Sports Direct, with 2,913 'loathe' votes (did not feature in the 2016 poll)

2. Apple, with 1,557 'loathe' votes (4th in 2016)

3. Currys/PC World, with 1,164 'loathe' votes (3rd in 2016) 

4. House of Fraser, with 1,052 'loathe' votes (31st in 2016)

5. Primark, with 971 'loathe' votes (1st in 2016)

6. Amazon, with 820 'loathe' votes (13th in 2016)

7. WH Smith, with 813 'loathe' votes (7th in 2016)

8. Tesco, with 787 'loathe' votes (2nd in 2016)

9. Asda, with 756 'loathe' votes (6th in 2016)

10. Debenhams, with 698 'loathe' votes (26th in 2016)

MoneySavers' most-loved brands factoring in 'loathe' votes too: 

1. Wilko, with 94% 'love' votes (3rd in 2016)

2. John Lewis, with 91% 'love' votes (1st in 2016)

3. Home Bargains, with 89% 'love' votes (did not feature in the 2016 poll)

4. Lakeland, with 89% 'love' votes (6th in 2016)

5. Waterstones, with 89% 'love' votes (8th in 2016)

6. Aldi, with 87% 'love' votes (4th in 2016)

7. M&S, with 87% 'love' votes (2nd in 2016)

8. Waitrose, with 84% 'love' votes (7th in 2016) 

9. Lidl, with 80% 'love' votes (10th in 2016)

10. Sainsbury's, with 80% 'love' votes (8th in 2016)

MoneySavers' most-loathed brands factoring in 'love' votes too: 

1. Sports Direct, with 95% 'loathe' votes (did not feature in the 2016 poll)

2. House of Fraser, with 86% 'loathe' votes (22nd in 2016)

3. Currys/PC World, with 84% 'loathe' votes (2nd in 2016)

4. WH Smith, with 84% 'loathe' votes (1st in 2016) 

5. Topshop/Topman, with 83% 'loathe' votes (3rd in 2016)

6. Jack Wills, with 81% loathe votes (4th in 2016)

7. Poundland, with 77% 'loathe' votes (27th in 2016)

8. Harrods, with 77% 'loathe' votes (did not feature in the 2016 poll)

9. Halfords, with 68% 'loathe' votes (did not feature in the 2016 poll)

10. Homebase, with 65% 'loathe' votes (7th in 2016)

For the full breakdown and responses from some of the retailers, see the MSE news story.

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Notes to editors

1. The results have been ranked after calculating the net proportion of respondents who 'loved' or 'loathed' each brand. Where brands received the same percentage of 'love' and 'loathe' votes, we've ordered them by number of actual votes.

2. Sports Direct attracted a surprisingly high number of votes compared to other stores – though that may in part be because of intense criticism from disgruntled House of Fraser customers in the wake of its takeover of the department store.