Dear colleagues and friends,

Good morning. I trust you are fine!

A JOB WORTH DOING IS WORTH DOING WELL!

I shall start this end of year message by quoting our Chairman’s most famous quote, as this has been our motto for so many years and we do so, as we celebrate our 50 years of operations.

1971 – THE YEAR IT ALL STARTED

It was back in 1971 when Charles and Rita Vella returned from Australia to follow their dreams in their home country – Malta. It all started in the little village of Mellieha and after more than 50 years their efforts developed into one of Malta’s most recognised and respected household brands – The ROCS Group.

Fast forward 50 years and here we are coming out of a pandemic conscious of the fact that we have probably just experienced the worst worldwide situation in the past 100 years.

2020 – THE YEAR THE WORLD CAME TO A HALT

The past three years have been difficult and overwhelming for everyone. Back in 2020, a global pandemic was no longer a figment of our imagination, and large-scale lockdowns became the new norm. This year we have finally managed to return to some degree of normality, even though 2022 presented us with challenge after challenge, pushing us to adapt our lives and our business in order to navigate through it. As we move closer to 2023 I feel that ahead of us we have great opportunities awaiting and we have to be ready to set sail.

During one of the biggest economic shocks in recent times, ROCS kept growing strong year on year supporting our customers with great customer experience and superb value for money. We always believed that during the hardest period in the past 100 years we as ROCS had to be stronger than ever by supporting our clients during such time and delivering excellence even during unprecedented times.

2022 – THE PRESENT

This approach made us what we are today as 2022 proved to be an extremely successful year with overall operations returning to figures above pre-pandemic levels. This was only possible as our clients, our partners and employees trusted us and for this we thank you and commit to always place customer satisfaction at the very top of our agenda.

At ROCS, we proudly say we are dedicated to doing our best to support our customers through the various divisions we operate.

Year 2022 found us collaborating with some of the world’s greatest brands while at the same time we launched a number of retail outlets in Malta, Libya and Dubai. This was only possible through the shareholders’ foresight and readiness to accept reasonable risk both locally and abroad.

2023 – WHAT LIES AHEAD

Looking forward, it’s hard to hide our excitement for the imminent plans for the upcoming year. 2023 is to be the year of innovative ideas, great technological innovation and the setting out of our foundations for the next 50 years.

To our valued employees, your individual contributions have been pivotal to every milestone we have achieved in the past months and years. We faced extremely difficult global economic challenges. In spite of these challenges, we still hit most of our goals. Your hard work and dedication have sown seeds of prosperity that we shall soon reap together.

A special thanks goes to all our teams and management for their tireless work, without whom we would not be in the position we are today. The success of our company is built on the efforts of our employees and in this past year, we have enjoyed many successes. Thank you for your dedication. I am truly grateful for your valuable contributions to ROCS.

In 2023 we commit our best efforts towards facilitating our customers, employees and business partners in having their best year ever!

Wishing you all a wonderful, safe and relaxing holiday break, and a Happy New Year!

Colin Aquilina
Chief Executive Officer, ROCS Group