IF WARREN Haskins' two sisters hadn't married American men, it might have been a totally different story.

But because they "couldn't find good enough men in England", Warren ended up making quite a few friends in America - who gave him a great idea for a new business venture.

That new venture was Hobbycraft - the arts and crafts superstores - which are marking their 10th anniversary this year.

From the first Hobbycraft at Haskins Garden Centre in Longham (pictured below), the company has grown into a 25-store empire stretching from Dorset to Lancashire.

Hobbycraft - which grew out of the Haskins family garden centre business - now employs more than 1,000 people, including 34 at its Longham store, 38 at its Hurn head office, and 35 at its distribution centre in Blandford.

"The real reason Hobbycraft started was because my two sisters preferred American men to British," explains Warren.

"I've been to the States quite a lot in the last 25 years and I've made many friends there in the garden centre industry, including the senior vice president of a chain of nursery and craft centres who explained quite clearly the synergy between gardening and crafts.

"It's a similar sort of customer that does both activities - gardening is something you do when the days are longer and crafts are something you do when the days are shorter.

"I've also seen how the crafts business has developed in America and there are some enormous chains there selling arts and crafts materials."

Warren, who at the time was managing director of Haskins, was wondering what to do with a spare unit at the Longham garden centre site. One of the options was to turn the building into an arts and crafts store of the kind he'd seen in America.

"We arranged a feasibility study on the arts and crafts market, and as we were doing it we became quite excited.

"There's always been quite a strong interest in hobbies and crafts in the UK but that's always been served by small shops.

"So although initially it was just a need to utilise the space, we began to appreciate that there was actually an opportunity throughout the UK for somebody to provide a comprehensive range of art and craft materials all under one roof."

Warren adds: "Longham was very much a trial store but it just took off - people's enthusiasm was quite staggering. We did two-and-a-half times our budgeted turnover in the first year and our biggest problem in the first six months was keeping up the selection of products for the customers."

As Hobbycraft gradually expanded into a chain, outlets were opened at other Haskins garden centres and on retail parks up and down the country.

In 2000 the business was legally separated from Haskins (which was set up by Warren's great-grandfather in 1882), with Warren becoming chief executive of Hobbycraft and non-executive chairman of Haskins.

Each Hobbycraft branch is a one-stop shop for more than 250 creative activities and stocks at least 32,000 products, including materials for art, flower arranging, framing, models, needlework, ceramics, card-making and dolls houses.

Two of the most popular crafts at the moment are card and jewellery making, while knitting is making a comeback.

"English people send more cards per head than any other nation in the world and it's become very popular in the last few years to make your own," says Warren.

"Knitting has had quite a revival and we've just launched scarf knitting kits which have been very successful.

"It's been an exciting 10 years. We always had a vision that we could turn Hobbycraft into a national group and I didn't realise how much hard work would have to go into doing so.

"But we've got some great people working for us and that's what it's all about."