Anglo-Dutch global fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) giant Unilever plc' chief executive Paul Polman has said that he was pleased with the response that the company's voluntary open offer to hike its stake in Indian subsidiary Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) received.

The open offer was commenced on 21st of June and came to an end on 4th of July. During the open offer period, HUL shareholders tendered a total of 319,699,278 shares at the offer price of Rs 600 a share.

Via the open offer, the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods maker raised its stake in the Indian subsidiary from 52.48 per cent to 67.28 per cent.

Speaking on the topic, Unilever Chief Executive Paul Polman said, "We are pleased to have received such a good response to our voluntary open offer and that, as a result, we will significantly increase our stake in HUL."

He added that HUL was an excellent business with a proud heritage and a great potential for attractive growth in the long term.

However, Unilever fell short of its original aim about the stake increase. Earlier this year, the FMCG giant had announced that it had plans to spend up to 5.4 billion dollars to hike its stake in HUL to 75 per cent.

Nevertheless, HUL shares jumped to a record high of Rs 632 apiece in early morning trade on Friday, before finally closing at Rs 609 a share, at a gain of 1.40 per cent from the previous day's close.