Suffering from an overbuilt flagship, the abandonment of Downtown Cleveland and overexpansion into the outlying areas, the company was sold to Marshall Field's in 1970, under which it deteriorated, falling behind local rivals Higbee's and May Company. Attempts to lure less upscale patrons with mid-priced goods failed, forcing the 1974 resignation of then-President/CEO Chisholm Halle—Walter's son and the grandson of Samuel H. Halle who had died in 1954. In 1969, Under Chisolm Halle, The Halle Bros. Co. retired their traditional "Old English" script in favor of a more "modern" look with simple block lettering and shortened their name on printed material to just "Halle's". This new logo did not resonate well with Cleveland shoppers who were mourning the loss of Halle's former logo. In late 1969, Halle's reverted to the "Old English" logo but kept all printed material to simply "Halle's". In 1971, after Marshall Field's purchase of the chain, they did attempt to modernize Halle's look, investing in a brand make-over campaign over the course of 1971, including retiring Halle's traditional Old English Script logo which was re-instituted to a new logo which matched that of Marshall Field's current logo.