Walmart Labs has expanded its Portland presence with the acquisition of Small Society

@WalmartLabs, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., has acquired Portland-based mobile app developer Small Society.

The deal was disclosed in separate blog posts by @WalmartLabs principal Anand Rajaraman and Small Society’s Raven Zachary. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The company has developed apps for several major retailers, including Starbucks, Whole Foods and Zipcar.

“As we got to know the Small Society founders, they impressed us with their understanding of mobile platforms, their passion for building great products, and their awareness of the unique opportunities for mobile in the retail space,” Rajaraman wrote.

Zachary, who as an independent developer led the creation of the iPhone app for President Obama’s 2008 campaign, formed Small Society in February 2009.

In his blog post, Zachary said Small Society was founded on the idea of re-imagining the retail experience.

But as an independent consultant, the ability to affect change was limited.

“Rarely do you get the chance to work with a client over an extended period of time, iterating and responding to customer feedback and interest,” he wrote. “Walmart provides our team with the biggest canvas as the world’s largest company and the world’s largest employer.”

@WalmartLabs — the Bentonville, Ark., retailer’s Silicon Valley-based social and mobile commerce division — isn’t new to Portland.

Rajaraman wrote that the division in April acquired a company called Set Direction that employed a Portland-based developer.

“Since then, we have recruited a few more talented developers in the area,” Rajaraman wrote. “

Our Portland office works closely with the rest of the team here in Silicon Valley, and together we will deliver world-class experiences for all of Walmart’s global businesses.”

Zachary said his team of 13 will join @WalmartLabs’ five-person Portland team.

“Our opportunity as a team to impact the retail experience using mobile technology is huge,” Zachary wrote. “ It honestly can’t get any bigger than Walmart.”