On September 28, Discovery Consumer Products, the authorized agency of the internationally renowned outdoor brand Discovery, in collaboration with China’s Extraordinary Exploration Outdoor Products Co., Ltd., officially announced the launch of the new product line for the international outdoor lifestyle brand Discovery Expedition. At the same time, it was announced that Bear Grylls, the host of the Discovery Channel's hit show "Man vs. Wild" and a globally renowned explorer and survival expert, has been signed as the first brand ambassador for Discovery Expedition in China.
HowToTrip conducted interviews with Yang Jianhui, Chairman of Extraordinary Exploration Outdoor Products Co., Ltd., and Sheng Faqiang, Chairman of Beijing Toread Outdoor Products Co., Ltd., a joint venture partner, following the launch event.
Sheng Faqiang (right), Yang Jianhui (center) and Bear Grylls (left)
Y: Yang Jianhui, Chairman of Discovery Expedition China
S: Sheng Faqiang, Chairman of Toread
Q: Discovery Expedition has been in China for a year now. How has its development and business been going?
Y: Discovery Expedition has been operating in China for just over a year. In terms of distribution channels, we have opened 29 exclusive stores in 22 cities across the country. We have also developed e-commerce channels such as Tmall and JD.com, focusing on integrating online and offline sales to help more people get to know the brand. So far, our progress has been quite ideal.
Q: Will Extraordinary Exploration launch any new brands, or will it focus solely on Discovery Expedition? Can you share your future development strategy?
Y: Extraordinary Exploration was established because of Discovery Expedition. We will focus on building this brand and its product lines, and will not be launching any other brands.
Q: Why did Discovery Expedition launch a self-drive route through no-man’s-land?
Y: The core focus of the Discovery Expedition brand is outdoor gear for self-drive travelers. After evaluating various outdoor activities, we considered how to create strong interaction between the brand and consumers to aid in brand communication, which led to this idea.
Q: Will you collaborate with major off-road vehicle manufacturers in the future?
Y: Yes, we are already in discussions with high-end off-road vehicle manufacturers and have had in-depth conversations about potential future collaborations.
Q: In recent years, outdoor adventure TV shows like those from Discovery have become very popular in China, which has led to increasing interest in outdoor exploration. What are your long-term plans for the outdoor gear market in China?
S: For the outdoor sports market, we are adopting a multi-brand business strategy. Currently, we have three brands: Toread, Acanu, and Discovery Expedition. In the future, we may introduce more brands to cater to different interests within the outdoor community and offer products tailored to various segments. For e-commerce, we plan to build a platform-based marketplace that provides comprehensive outdoor gear from multiple brands—not just one—creating a more holistic ecosystem for the outdoor sports market.
Q: Does Toread’s partnership to introduce the Discovery Expedition brand mark an important step in its internationalization strategy?
S: I think it can be understood that way. The Discovery Expedition brand is authorized for the Chinese market, and our main focus is to serve the domestic market well.
Q: Will you collaborate with Discovery in the future to combine TV programs with exploring more undiscovered parts of China?
S: Discovery is primarily a television channel, and then there is also the clothing brand. These are two separate things. Currently, what Discovery has licensed to us is for outdoor gear and apparel in China, not TV or cultural programs. If we have needs in that area, we can communicate with the Discovery Channel, and perhaps we may collaborate on producing some programs in the future.
Q: As we all know, both you and your wife are passionate outdoor enthusiasts, which led to the creation of the Toread brand. Now that you’ve invited Bear Grylls to be the ambassador for Discovery Expedition this year, have you and your wife thought about going on a wilderness survival trip with him?
S: (Laughs) If that were possible, that would certainly be great. Bear’s spirit of exploration is widely recognized, and his courage and determination shown in "Man vs. Wild" are much loved by outdoor enthusiasts. It would be a privilege for Toread to explore with him. Our collaboration with Bear has just begun this year, and we hope for more partnerships in the future.
Q: At the launch event, we saw that Bear has a huge fan base in China who strongly support him. Will he be coming to China frequently to promote the brand?
S: Bear is our brand ambassador, and he will participate in more events and engage more with fans. However, the details will depend on the specifics of our cooperation.
This shows that Toread’s support for the Discovery Expedition brand is not only a strong push for high-end domestic brands but also a powerful complement to Toread’s own brand identity in China. Inviting Bear Grylls, the most iconic figure in outdoor sports, as the ambassador is a huge draw for the Chinese outdoor community. We can expect many more surprises from Discovery Expedition and Bear in the future.