On September 28, the authorized agency of the internationally renowned outdoor brand Discovery (Discovery Consumer Products), together with Extraordinary Exploration Outdoor Products Co., Ltd., announced the official launch of the new product line of the international outdoor lifestyle brand Discovery Expedition. It was also announced that Bear Grylls, host of the Discovery Channel’s show “Man vs. Wild” and a globally renowned explorer and survival expert, has been signed as the first China brand ambassador for Discovery Expedition.
After the launch event, GreenLight Outdoor interviewed Yang Jianhui, Chairman of Extraordinary Exploration Outdoor Products Co., Ltd., and Sheng Faqiang, Chairman of Beijing Toread Outdoor Products Co., Ltd., the joint venture partner of Extraordinary Exploration.
Sheng Faqiang (right), Yang Jianhui (center), and Bear Grylls (left)
Yang: Yang Jianhui, China Chairman of Discovery Expedition
Sheng: Sheng Faqiang, Chairman of Toread
Q: Discovery Expedition has been introduced to the domestic market for a year now. What is the current development and operational status?
Yang: Discovery Expedition has been operating in China for over a year. In terms of distribution channels, we have opened 29 exclusive stores in 22 cities across the country. At the same time, we have developed e-commerce platforms such as Tmall and JD.com, focusing on integrating online and offline experiences to help more people understand the brand itself. 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 talk about your future development strategy?
Yang: Extraordinary Exploration was established because of Discovery Expedition. We will focus on building this brand series and won’t be launching any other brands.
Q: Why did Discovery Expedition release an off-road driving route through no-man’s land?
Yang: The core focus of the Discovery Expedition brand is outdoor gear for driving enthusiasts. Among all current outdoor activities, we considered how to create strong interaction between the brand elements and consumers—something that could help with brand communication—and this idea was born from that thought process.
Q: Will there be collaborations with major off-road vehicle manufacturers in the future?
Yang: Yes, we are already in discussions with premium off-road car manufacturers and have had in-depth conversations about future cooperation.
Q: In recent years, TV programs featuring outdoor exploration, like those under the Discovery brand, have become very popular in China. Outdoor adventure is gaining increasing attention. Do you have any long-term plans for the overall outdoor equipment market in China?
Sheng: For the outdoor sports market, we adopt a multi-brand business strategy. Currently, we have three brands: Toread, Acanu, and Discovery Expedition. We may introduce more brands in the future. By segmenting the market according to the different interests of outdoor enthusiasts and adding brands with varied positioning, we aim to provide suitable products and equipment for the entire outdoor community. For e-commerce, we are building a platform-based e-commerce service tailored to outdoor activities, offering consumers a comprehensive range of outdoor brands and gear—not just a single brand. This layout is based on a more holistic ecosystem perspective of the overall outdoor sports market.
Q: Does Toread’s joint venture to bring in the Discovery Expedition brand mark an important step in its strategy toward internationalization?
Sheng: I think that’s a fair interpretation. The Discovery Expedition brand is authorized to us for the domestic market, primarily targeting China, and our focus is to solidify our presence here.
Q: Will there be future collaborations with Discovery to explore more of China’s unknown territories through television programs?
Sheng: Discovery is primarily a television channel, which later launched a clothing product brand. These are not the same thing. Currently, what Discovery has authorized to us are outdoor gear and apparel products for the Chinese market—not television or cultural programs. If we have needs in that area, we can communicate with the Discovery Channel, and perhaps we’ll collaborate on producing some programs in the future.
Q: As we all know, you and your wife are both passionate outdoor enthusiasts, which is how the Toread brand came to be. Now that Bear Grylls has been invited as the ambassador for Discovery Expedition this year, have you and your wife considered joining him on a survival adventure?
Sheng: (Laughs) If that were possible, that would certainly be great. Bear’s spirit of exploration is widely recognized. His courage and determination shown in “Man vs. Wild” are loved by outdoor enthusiasts. It would be a lucky opportunity for Toread to explore with him. Our partnership with Bear just started this year, and we hope there will be more collaboration going forward.
Q: At the launch event earlier, we saw that Bear has huge fan support in China. Will he frequently come to China for promotions in the future?
Sheng: Bear is our brand ambassador. He will participate in more events and interact more with fans, but the specifics will depend on the progress of our collaboration.
From this, we can see that Toread’s support for the Extraordinary Exploration Discovery Expedition brand is not only a strengthening push for a high-end domestic brand, but also a powerful complement to Toread’s own brand identity in China. Inviting Bear, one of the most representative figures in outdoor sports, as the ambassador is a huge draw for the broader Chinese outdoor community. We can certainly look forward to more surprises brought to us by Discovery Expedition and Bear in the future.