Sugi Holdings Co., Ltd. Introduces PeopleX's Interactive AI Interview Service "PeopleX AI Interview"

PeopleX Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Daichi Tachibana; hereinafter referred to as "Our Company"), which solves HR challenges with AI from recruitment to career support, is pleased to announce that Sugi Holdings Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Obu City, Aichi Prefecture; President and Representative Director: Katsunori Sugiura) has implemented our interactive AI interview service, "PeopleX AI Interview."

Background and Objectives of Implementation Since its establishment in 1976, Sugi Holdings Co., Ltd. has been a leading company in the pharmacy-integrated drugstore sector, operating a total of 2,300 stores across its group. The company focuses on creating stores and services that blend the real and digital worlds to provide comprehensive health support, including dispensing, retail, nursing care, fitness, and preventive care.

Valuing "Contribution to the Local Community" since its founding, the company has a large number of specialized professionals such as pharmacists, registered sellers, and registered dietitians, and has succeeded in securing many personnel even as various industries enter the dispensing business. The company is also strengthening its digital initiatives, offering services such as the Sugi Pharmacy app and Sugi Smartphone for medications to improve customer satisfaction.

In light of this, with human capital and DX promotion as its strengths, the company has now introduced "PeopleX AI Interview" as part of its recruitment DX initiatives. Aiming to achieve a kind, fair, and equitable recruitment process for job seekers, the company has particularly appreciated the following points: ・No need for schedule coordination, enabling 24/7/365 interview availability.

・Stabilization of assessment through AI utilization.

・Excellent candidate experience through smooth dialogue and reactions of the AI avatar, and flexibility in in-depth questioning.

・Global compatibility through multilingual support and Japanese language proficiency assessment function.

Initially, the service will be utilized for career recruitment at Sugi Pharmacy Co., Ltd., a business company of Sugi Holdings Co., Ltd., with plans to expand its scope of use in the future.

Comments from the Representative of Sugi Holdings Co., Ltd. Shigeki Mori, Executive Officer, Human Resources, Administration, and Risk, and CHRO, Sugi Holdings Co., Ltd.

Our group cherishes the founding spirit of "Contribution to the Local Community" while pursuing multifaceted business expansion, including new store development that integrates real and digital, international business, and DX promotion. During this period of transformation, we believe that the approach to recruitment also needs to evolve, which led us to implement "PeopleX AI Interview." We anticipate that the convenience of being able to conduct interviews 24/7/365 according to applicants' schedules, along with AI-powered multilingual support and objective evaluation data through in-depth questioning, will contribute to stabilizing recruitment accuracy. We expect to create a recruitment environment that truly understands the strengths of individuals with diverse backgrounds through fair and equitable selection, and that is supportive of our candidates. We will continue to actively leverage technology to maximize our human capital.

Company Overview of Sugi Holdings Co., Ltd. Company Name: Sugi Holdings Co., Ltd. Representative: Katsunori Sugiura, President and Representative Director Capital: 15,434,588,000 yen Location: 62-1 Yokone-cho Shinkoe, Obu City, Aichi Prefecture Business Overview: Management of all Sugi Pharmacy Group companies