Ahold NV posted a 3.1 percent increase in net profit in its second quarter this year. The company's private label share is approximately 15 to 16 percent of its total U.S. sales. It hopes to increase private label’s share by up to two percent in the next few years. Ahold started lowering its prices in 2006 ahead and so anticipated the downward pricing pressure that the recession would put on all retailers.