The invention concerns a labelling device (1) comprising a conveying device (3) provided with a drive unit (14) for transporting a supporting band (7) having a plurality of labels, and a dispensing device (2). The supporting band (7) comprising labels (6) is unwound on a label roll (9), then, once the labels are removed from the supporting band (7), the latter (7) is wound on a supporting band roll (10). The conveying device (3) has two roll units (8, 12) for the label roll (8) and the supporting band roll (10), said roll units capable of being driven each in different rotational directions. The transporting direction of the supporting band (7) may be reversed by inversion of the driving direction of the drive unit (14) for labelling containers (19) in two different labelling directions (X1, X2). The roll units (8, 12) are identically shaped.