An apparatus comprising a protruding shaft having means for retaining thereon a reel, material roll or similar article which is slipped on the shaft from the free end of the shaft, which means comprise a number of elongated pressure members located in recesses in the shaft. The pressure members are adapted to be displaced radially outwards by means of a pressurized fluid supplied through the shaft through a connector to be coupled with a source of pressurised fluid, until they engage against the inner side of the central cavity of a reel slipped on the shaft and to move radially inwards again for removing the reel from the shaft. The apparatus in particular serves for being applied in a packing machine in which articles are packed continuously in a packing material web unwound from a packing material roll retained on the shaft. Each pressure member is mounted in the associated recess also for a slideable movement in axial direction between a foremost and hindmost position and is provided at the end remote from the free end of the shaft with a stop projecting radially outwards for shifting the pressure members into the hindmost position by means of a reel slipped in the shaft and engaging the stops. Within the pressure members actuating means are mounted for an axially reciprocating movement, said actuating means being provided at their outer sides with at least one wedge surface cooperating with wedge surfaces formed at the inner sides of the pressure members so that by a movement of the actuating means from the one outmost position to the other outmost position the pressure members are urged radially outwards. Means are provided for returning of the pressure members into their foremost position again by a movement of the actuating means to the one outmost position, the actuating means having a stop surface bearing against a stop surface formed in the shaft in said outmost position of the actuating means. Means acting as a spring are provided urging the actuating means to said one outmost position. Further two spaces are defined in the shaft communicating with each other through a relatively narrow channel. A first valve member closes said channel in the one outmost position of the actuating means. The first space communicates directly with the connection to the source of a pressurized fluid so that in operation said space is filled with said pressurized fluid. The second space is bounded by a substantially transversely extending surface of the actuating means and is provided with a second normally closed valve member. The first valve member is coupled to the pressure member such that when said members are moved to a hindmost position the first valve member is opened, by which the pressurized fluid is permitted to flow into the second space through said channel so that the actuating mean is urged to the other outmost position by the fluid pressure acting on said transverse surface for displacing radially the pressure members by means of the wedge surfaces. By opening the second valve member the fluid pressure in the second space is relieved so that the actuating means are urged to the first outmost position again by the means acting as a spring.