An efficient Brønsted acid-induced one-pot syntheses of 2-methylbenzofurans from norbornyl derivatives have been reported. The construction of new C–O bond proceeds via Grob-type fragmentation followed by cyclization and aromatization respectively. This synthetic strategy facilitates the efficient synthesis of 2-methylbenzofurans under acidic conditions. Significantly, this methodology is successfully applied to the synthesis of 6,7-bisaryl benzofurans. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd