PHOENIX, Ariz. (Dec.18, 2009): The Apothecary Shops, the nation's foremost chain of independent full- service pharmacies, did not slow down in 2009 and doesn't plan to put the hiring brakes on in 2010 either.

The company, which added 29 new positions in 2009 including executives, pharmacists, technicians and support staff, an increase of 17.4%, expects to fill at least 30 new jobs to start the second decade of the 21st century. The Apothecary Shops has 180 employees, 150 in Arizona.

“We’re growing and we’re growing fast,” said The Apothecary Shops’ President Keith Cook, who was hired in October. “As the company moves aggressively to expand our operations, we’re looking for qualified employees to get us where we need to be.”

In addition, during 2009 the company completed construction of a 5,000 square foot clean room and opened a new state-of-the-art mail-order fulfillment center to meet the company’s growing nationwide demand for pharmaceuticals in 10 specialty areas.