Business Notes RETAILING

Many Americans cannot get along without French clothing, wine and perfume, even if the value of the dollar is falling. But do Americans need a French department store? A Denver-based developer, Realities Inc., thinks so. Hoping to capitalize on one of the great names in European retailing, Realities has opened the first U.S. franchise of Paris' 122-year-old Printemps department- store chain.

The new glass-and-stone facade of the American Printemps, in an old commercial area of Denver, is a far cry from the 19th century belle epoque building that houses the Printemps on the Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. But the U.S. owners have tried to recreate a bit of French style: the Denver store features a bistro and a sweeping operatic staircase backlit by a skylight. The merchandise is more eclectic: such famous French names as Claude Montana and Hermes are well represented, but so are Perry Ellis, Anne Klein and other American labels.