LONDON (Standard&Poor's CreditWire) Jan. 24, 2001--Following a disappointing trading statement from U.K. retailer Marks&Spencer PLC, Standard&Poor's today lowered its long-term ratings on Marks&Spencer and related entities to double-'A'-minus from double-'A' and placed them on CreditWatch with negative implications. At the same time, the 'A-1'-plus short-term corporate credit and commercial paper ratings on Marks&Spencer and related entities were also placed on CreditWatch with negative implications. (See list below for all ratings affected.) The rating downgrades and CreditWatch placements follow Marks&Spencer's announcement that like-for-like sales for the 16-week period to Jan. 20, 2001, are down 5.1%, with the group's clothing business reporting a fall in actual sales of 9.3% compared
