UPDATE 1-Belgium's Arseus Q4 sales up 10 pct, purchases seen

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BRUSSELS Jan 15 (Reuters ) - Belgian medical wholesaler Arseus NV (RCUS.BR) reported a 10 percent rise in fourth-quarter sales on Tuesday, meeting expectations, and said it expects to complete a number of acquisitions in the first half of this year.

Sales for October-December came in at 90.3 million euros ($134.2 million) versus 82.2 million euros a year earlier. A Reuters poll of four analysts had produced a consensus forecast of 89.8 million euros.

Two of its four units, supplying pharmacy ingredients and IT solutions, fared better than expected. The dental and medical equipment businesses underperformed, the medical operation declining by four percent as wheelchair sales dropped.

For the full year, sales also increased by 10 percent to 304.4 million euros, above the company's target of 300 million euros. Like-for-like growth was 6 percent.

Arseus, which sells dental chairs, hospital beds and surgical instruments, said it expected like-for-like growth of about 7 to 8 percent in 2008 and added it expected to complete a number of acquisitions in the first half of the year.

The company was split off from health products distributor Omega Pharma OMEP.BR and listed on Euronext Brussels and Amsterdam last October, expounding a "buy and build" strategy. (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Rory Channing)