Best Buy CEO Jason Bonfig Takes Over From Corie Barry: Dates, Pay and What the Board Has Said

Minneapolis, 13 October 2026. Jason Bonfig becomes Best Buy's chief executive on 1 November 2026, the day after Corie Barry leaves the CEO and board roles at the end of 31 October, according to the company's Form 8-K. Best Buy announced the plan on 22 April 2026. Barry stays on for six months as a strategic advisor.

The handover is less than three weeks away. This article sets out what Best Buy has filed and said, what the terms are, and what remains unexplained.

When does Jason Bonfig become Best Buy CEO?

Bonfig's appointment as CEO and director is effective 1 November 2026, per the 8-K. The filing says the board appointed him on 19 April 2026. Best Buy's press release, dated 22 April 2026, says Barry steps down "at the end of Q3 on Oct. 31" and that Bonfig "will also join the Board at that time."

The two documents differ by a day on when Bonfig's board seat starts. The company's 3 August 2026 release says "Bonfig will succeed current CEO Corie Barry on Nov. 1." The table below lays out the dates.

Who is Jason Bonfig?

Bonfig, age 49 per the 8-K, joined Best Buy in 1999 as an inventory analyst, according to the company's biography. He has held his current position since 2021, the 8-K says. The company's biography adds that he holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

The 8-K gives these earlier roles.

The company's press release says Bonfig oversees "merchandising, ecommerce, marketing, supply chain, Best Buy Canada and Best Buy Ads, the company's retail media network." It adds that he "led the creation of the company's online Marketplace in the U.S. and the scaling of its Best Buy Ads business." These are the company's own descriptions of his record.

Title wording differs between company documents. The press release calls him Chief Customer, Product and Fulfillment Officer. The 8-K lists Senior Executive Vice President, Customer Offering, Fulfillment and Best Buy Canada. Both come from Best Buy.

What has the Best Buy board said about the choice?

Board chair David Kenny said in the press release: "As a Board, we are confident that Jason is the right leader to accelerate the business, with urgency and innovative ideas, and create meaningful growth for the company and its shareholders." He also credited Barry's leadership "over the past seven years."

The company says the selection followed "an extensive process conducted by the Board that considered internal and external candidates." It describes Bonfig as the sixth CEO in the company's 60-year history. These are company statements, and the filings do not name any other candidates.

The 8-K states there are no arrangements or understandings behind his appointment. It also says he has no family relationships with any director or executive officer.

What happens to Corie Barry?

Barry leaves her CEO and board roles at the end of the day on 31 October 2026. The 8-K says she "will remain employed by Best Buy as a strategic advisor in a non-executive officer role for six months following her departure."

During that period her annual base salary decreases to $1,000,000. She remains eligible for a pro-rated payout of her short-term incentive award for the part of fiscal 2027 in which she was CEO, plus executive-level employee benefits. Her transition letter agreement is dated 21 April 2026.

Reuters, carried by MPR News, and KTVU both report that Barry became CEO in 2019. The press release calls her the second-longest tenured CEO in Best Buy's history. In her statement she said of Bonfig: "I've worked closely with Jason for many years and can confidently say he's the right person, with the right vision, to accelerate the company's strategy and take Best Buy into the future."

How much will Bonfig be paid as CEO?

The 8-K sets out an employment letter agreement dated 21 April 2026. The terms below are as filed by the company.

If he is terminated without cause, or leaves for good reason, on or within 12 months after a change of control, the filing provides enhanced severance of two times the sum of base salary plus target bonus, plus a pro-rata annual bonus. Readers who want to check filings like this one can follow our guide to reading an 8-K Item 5.02.

What other leadership changes has Best Buy made?

On 3 August 2026, Best Buy announced that Anne Bramman would become executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective 19 August 2026. She reports to Bonfig and joins his executive leadership team. The company says she was most recently chief financial and growth officer of Circana and earlier served as CFO of Nordstrom.

The release does not name a predecessor. For a comparable handoff at another company, see our report on Verra Mobility naming Jon Newhard CEO.

What business is Bonfig inheriting?

Best Buy reported $41.7 billion of revenue in fiscal 2026 and more than 80,000 employees, per the press release. Reuters, via MPR News, said the announcement came as the retailer "grapples with weak consumer demand and tariff-related supply-chain pressures," and that shares were down 4 percent in early trading on 22 April 2026.

For the second quarter of fiscal 2027, Digital Commerce 360 reported total revenue of about $9.78 billion, up 3.6%, and U.S. online sales of $3.0 billion, up 5.1%. The outlet also reported Marketplace gross merchandise value of about $300 million in the quarter, with Bonfig expecting $1.3 billion for the full year. The same outlet had earlier reported that the Marketplace launched in August 2025. Those figures come from one outlet's reading of the earnings materials, as of 28 August 2026.

What's still unclear?

• Why Barry is leaving. Neither the 8-K nor the press release gives a reason. The press release calls it a "planned departure."
• The one-day gap. The press release says Bonfig joins the board when Barry steps down on 31 October. The 8-K makes both his CEO and director appointments effective 1 November. The practical effect is a one-day difference in a board seat.
• Bonfig's title. Company documents use two different formulations of his current role.
• The record behind the pick. The company calls the Marketplace and Best Buy Ads work a success. Those are the company's own characterizations, and the filings do not give profit figures for either business.
• The strategy. Kenny's statement refers to accelerating growth "with urgency and innovative ideas." Best Buy has not published a plan for what changes after 1 November.

Quarterly results will show the first outcome. They will not show whether the handover itself was handled well.