JD Sports Canada hires Verde Digital for search boost

JD Sports Canada has appointed Verde Digital to improve its search visibility in Canada. The 12-month mandate covers Google search and AI search.

The project focuses on search engine optimisation and related work to improve how the retailer appears in conventional search results and AI-generated answers. It comes as JD Sports looks to strengthen its position in the Canadian sportswear market, where it competes with established retailers and global sportswear brands for online demand.

JD Sports entered Canada in 2021 with its first store in Toronto. It now operates more than 30 locations across the country and is seeking to support that bricks-and-mortar footprint with a broader digital presence.

London-based Verde Digital describes the appointment as its first client in Canada. Early work will focus on footwear, a category closely associated with JD Sports, before expanding into apparel.

That initial push will target search opportunities linked to major sportswear labels and product segments, including Nike, Jordan and Adidas. The work will also include Generative Engine Optimisation and Answer Engine Optimisation, industry terms for adapting content to appear more prominently in AI-generated responses and answer-led search tools.

JD Sports faces a different challenge in Canada from the one it has long known in the UK. The retailer built its brand in Britain after launching in Greater Manchester in 1981, but in Canada it is still building recognition while trying to win traffic and transactions in a crowded digital market.

Digital focus

The appointment reflects a wider shift among retailers as search behaviour changes. Consumers are increasingly using AI-led tools to research products, compare brands and narrow their choices before buying. In response, companies are reviewing how product pages, category pages and other online content are structured and surfaced.

For JD Sports, that means strengthening visibility not only when shoppers search directly for branded products, but also earlier in the purchase journey when they are browsing broader footwear or apparel categories. That early-stage discovery has become an important battleground for retailers trying to capture demand before customers settle on a brand or seller.

Joe Hale, Founder, Verde Digital, outlined the agency's approach to the assignment.

“JD Sports has established a strong physical presence in Canada, and our work will help the brand build a similarly strong online presence. There's a huge amount of competition for search demand across footwear in Canada, and we're setting out to place JD Sports among the established brands. There is an opportunity to capture more of the demand at an earlier stage in the search cycle by improving visibility at the category level. We're looking forward to helping JD Sports build visibility across both traditional and AI search as it enters its next stage of growth in Canada,” said Hale.

Canadian market

The Canadian sportswear sector includes domestic chains, department stores, specialist footwear sellers, direct-to-consumer brands and online marketplaces. That creates a fragmented search environment in which retailers compete across paid search, organic rankings, brand-led queries and increasingly AI-generated recommendations.

The JD Sports brief adds to Verde Digital's work with North American brands and a broader client base in fashion, sports and eCommerce. Its expansion into Canada suggests that UK-based specialist search firms are increasingly pursuing opportunities tied to retailers' international growth plans.

At JD Sports, the project also appears intended to build internal knowledge around search. Ryan Clarke, Senior Growth and Measurement Manager at JD Sports, said the retailer expected the partnership to improve its position in AI search while broadening the team's understanding of SEO.

“We're excited to partner with Verde to ramp up our AI search positioning through GEO and AEO here in Canada. It's a much-anticipated project kickoff for our team, and we are looking forward to acquiring some new skills in SEO too,” said Clarke.