The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that The Body Shop Canada is accusing its U.K.-based parent company of "improper" management of the Canadian subsidiary's funds, leading to a liquidity crisis, the closing of nearly one-third of its stores and the loss of more than 200 jobs in Canada, according to court documents. The Globe's Susan Krashinsky writers that the Toronto-based retailer's finances "deteriorated sharply" in December, 2023, shortly after German private equity firm Aurelius Investment acquired parent company The Body Shop International Ltd., according to an affidavit sworn by Jordan Searle, general manager for The Body Shop in Canada and the United States. Historically, the parent company handled the cash management for the Canadian business, by regularly "sweeping" cash out from its accounts, according to the affidavit. The Body Shop International would then make payments such as rent and payroll for the Canadian operations. Last month, however, without warning, those payments stopped. That has left the Canadian company with $3.3-million in debt, with payments owed to vendors such as Shoppers Drug Mart, landlords, utility providers, marketing agencies, insurers and shippers such as Amazon.