NY -- Standard & Poor's CreditWire 9/3/97 -- Standard & Poor's today assigned its preliminary single-'A' rating to The Gap, Inc.'s $500 million shelf registration of senior debt securities. Standard & Poor's also assigned a corporate credit and bank loan rating of single-'A' to the company. The company's 'A-1' commercial paper rating was affirmed. Proceeds of the debt securities will be used for general corporate purposes, including store expansion, brand investment, development of additional distribution channels, and repurchase of common stock. The ratings reflect The Gap's strong business position in casual apparel and Standard & Poor's expectation that this will continue to produce above-average measures of performance. In addition, the rating anticipates that future expansion will be managed in the
