Egyptian ceramics maker Lecico said on Tuesday it made a net profit of LE12.7 million ($2.10 million) in the first quarter of 2012, up 2 per cent from a year earlier. Sales grew 33 per cent from the same period a year earlier to LE287.5 million and earnings before interest and tax climbed 20 per cent to LE35.6 million, the company said in a statement on its website. It attributed the sales gain to a continued recovery in the Libyan market, growing regional demand for its tiles and growth of sanitary-ware sales to new markets and equipment manufacturers in Europe.