In an apparatus for forming bundles of flattened bags and successively transporting said bundles away, a rotary cylinder deposits successive bags edgewise on a depositing table disposed between the cylinder and a stationary support. The bags are accumulated in juxtaposition on the table to form a stack and gripper means periodically withdraw a bundle of bags from the stack by passing through the table between the cylinder and the support. The gripper means are non-coterminous with the space between the cylinder and the support so that they withdraw a bundle containing fewer bags than are contained in the stack.