The invention relates to a stacking apparatus and a stacking method for products in the form of product layers, in which method the stacking apparatus loads each of the product layers in a box-like and stackable slip-on container, which is open at the bottom, and stores the product layer with this container in a container stack, and/or said stacking apparatus removes product layers in slip-on containers from a container stack and unloads the individual product layer from the slip-on container. The stacking apparatus comprises a handling apparatus having a multi-axially movable handling device for the slip-on containers and, if applicable, the product layer accommodated in each of them, wherein the handling device is designed to handle the slip-on containers, which are open at the bottom, and wherein the product layers in the container stack are located on a container base of a lower slip-on container and are surrounded laterally and at the top by an upper slip-on container positioned above said lower slip-on container. The stacking apparatus has a row arrangement of a plurality of stacking places, wherein the handling apparatus comprises a movable support which moves the handling device along a first, facing side of the row arrangement.