Apax Partners-backed Authority Brands, a franchisor of 7 home-service franchise brands, agreed to acquire Monster Tree Service, a tree care company in the US. Financial terms were not disclosed. "Monster Tree Service is a terrific addition for Authority Brands. As the largest franchised residential tree service in North America, they're a great complement to our other leading home service brands. We're excited to help them continue their extraordinary growth by putting all of our marketing, operations and IT resources behind them," Rob Weddle, Authority Brands CEO.